STR: Suspicious Transaction Report
STR: Suspicious Transaction Report
Royal United Services Institute
Sanctioned: The Inside Story of the Sale of Chelsea Football Club
36 minutes Posted Jan 9, 2026 at 9:00 am.
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Over two billion pounds from the sale of Chelsea FC languishes frozen in a UK bank account. Why is that, and what happens next?

Nick Purewal, news and sports journalist, and author of 'Sanctioned: The Inside Story of the Sale of Chelsea FC' joins host Tom Keatinge to explore the sanctioning of Roman Abramovich by the UK following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the consequences for one of England's biggest football clubs and two decades of investment in south west London.

Differences in opinion - and legal drafting - mean that despite rising rhetoric from the UK government, the net proceeds of the sale remain frozen and in limbo in a UK bank account.