Sanctioned: The Inside Story of the Sale of Chelsea FC

The sale of Chelsea FC
in 2022 was one of the highest-profile and most controversial sports
transactions of all time. In the shadow of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Roman
Abramovich was forced to put his beloved club up for sale, and under the threat
of bankruptcy and ruin, Chelsea pulled off a complex transaction in three tense
and troubling months. Sanctioned chronicles those ninety-five
extraordinary days in English football.

Through unprecedented
access to Abramovich himself, key figures from Chelsea’s new ownership and a
star-studded footballing cast, Nick Purewal unfolds a wide-ranging tale of
political sanctions, hushed negotiations, Cold War-style geopolitics and even a
foul-play poisoning episode, all set against the backdrop of a drawn-out war on
the edge of Europe.

Four years on, the
funds from the Chelsea sale, earmarked for humanitarian causes, remained frozen
in a bank account. In this updated edition, Nick Purewal charts the fraught
political and legal battles to unlock this capital, as well as the highs and
lows of Chelsea’s 2025–26 season – from headline-grabbing wins to dramatic
staff exits and mammoth fines.