Chelsea director Eugene Tenenbaum has been sanctioned by the UK government in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, due to his close links to club owner Roman Abramovich.
Tenenbaum, who was born in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv but grew up in Canada, has had his assets frozen having had the measures imposed upon him.
According to the government, Tenenbaum previously described himself as one of Abramovich's closest business associates. He has been a member of the board of directors since the Russian-Israeli oligarch's takeover of the west London club in 2003.
The Chelsea owner put the club up for sale before being hit by sanctions himself back in March due to his alleged links to Moscow and president Vladimir Putin, with the Blues essentially operating under a transfer embargo with limits on ticket sales and travel.
As well as having his assets frozen, Tenenbaum is also the subject of travel sanctions, meaning any ship or aircraft owned, chartered, controlled or operated by him could be detained if it enters Britain.
Another close associate of Abramovich, David Davidovich, has also been sanctioned.
A UK government statement read: "Corporate filings show that Tenenbaum took control of Evrington Investments Limited, an Abramovich-linked investment company, on 24 February immediately following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Tenenbaum, who is a director at Chelsea Football Club, is subject to an asset freeze.
"David Davidovich has been described by Forbes as 'Abramovich’s much lower profile right hand man', and took over Evrington Investments from Tenenbaum in March 2022. He is subject to an asset freeze and travel ban."
Chelsea's takeover auction is nearing completion, with the four shortlisted bidders - the Ricketts family, Todd Boehly's consortium, Stephen Pagliuca and Sir Martin Broughton - required to submit their final offers on Thursday.
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Source : 90min