Following the sanctions imposed on Chelsea, Three have officially suspended their sponsorship of the club until further notice.
On March 10, the British government imposed sanctions on Chelsea and Roman Abramovich due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
They released the following statement: “To ensure the club can continue to compete & and operate, we are issuing a special licence that will allow fixtures to be fulfilled, staff to be paid and existing ticket holders to attend matches while, crucially, depriving Abramovich of benefiting from his ownership.”
‘The Blues’ can still compete in games, but they will face restrictions on how they generate revenue. Fans can still enjoy their usual matchday experience of buying food and drinks at the games. But the club shop has had to close its doors, and away fans will possibly no longer be able to purchase tickets.
The London club’s future is well and truly in jeopardy. But now they’ve received a further blow after their sponsors felt they had to act.
Read: Roman Abramovich sanctions: How Chelsea are affected.
Three suspend Chelsea sponsorship
The British telecommunications and internet service provider decided to suspend their sponsorship of the club to stand in solidarity with Ukraine.
A spokesperson said: “In light of the government’s recently announced sanctions, we have requested Chelsea Football Club temporarily suspend our sponsorship of the club. This includes the removal of our brand from shirts and around the stadium until further notice.
“We recognise that this decision will impact the many Chelsea fans who follow their team passionately. However, we feel that given the circumstances and the Government sanction that is in place, it is the right thing to do.”
Three who currently pay £40 million a year to sponsor Chelsea have made a big request in asking that the club refrains from using their logo on kits and around the ground. It will undoubtedly have huge financial effects on the team. And to make matters worse it looks like other sponsors will follow their lead.
Hyundai is also considering its business relationship with the Premier League side.
The Motor Company said: “Hyundai has become one of the strongest partners in football over the years. The company supports the sport to be a force for good. We are currently assessing the situation with Chelsea.”
Three urge Chelsea to remove logo from shirts
As of March 17, Chelsea had yet to remove the Three logo from the front of their shirts. The Athletic reported that the telecommunications company urged them to remove it ‘as soon as possible.’
A spokesperson said the following: “We understand from discussions with Chelsea FC that there are ongoing issues with removing the Three logo from the shirts, as a result of kit supply issues and licence restrictions. “We have requested that Chelsea reverts with a solution to this issue as soon as possible.”
Due to the government sanctions placed on the club – as an asset of Roman Abramovich – Chelsea can’t print new shirts. However, what has been suggested is that they can cover the logo with a sticker as Schalke have done with Gazprom.
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