Chelsea Champions League game in Lille to be shown on Russian TV despite huge sanctions
Chelsea Champions League game in Lille to be shown on Russian TV thanks to Vladimir Putin’s presidential decree.
Chelsea’s Champions League last 16 second leg at Lille on Wednesday will be shown live on Russia state-owned television, thanks to a presidential decree from Vladimir Putin.
UEFA have not suspended their broadcast contracts in Russia, a move made by the likes of the Premier League, FA and EFL, meaning the Champions League can be shown in the country, despite the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has been hit with several sanctions from the US, UK and other global brands but such moves have not come from UEFA despite removing the Champions League final from St. Petersburg to Paris.
The European governing body have banned Russian teams from their competitions either and cancelled the big-money sponsorship deal with Gazprom, the state-owned energy company.
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However, the Daily Mail reports that all Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League games will still be shown on Match TV in Russia – a channel which is owned by Gazprom Media and was set up on Putin’s orders.
Chelsea may suffer some embarrassment from the situation after their Russian owner, Roman Abramovich, was sanctioned by the UK government last week.
The oligarch is trying to sell the club and new owners could be in place as quickly as this month as a string of investors try and organise themselves and get a deal done.
The US firm handling the sale, Raine Group, has extended the deadline for bids to 18 March and plenty could be made by that Friday deadline.
The Guardian reports that as many as 200 groups have expressed an interest in buying the Blues, so the race is on to snap up the club for around the £2bn mark.
