Kit sponsors Three suspend £40 million-a-year deal with Chelsea after UK government sanctions Roman Abramovich

Chelsea are facing further off-field issues, as main kit sponsors 'Three' have asked for their shirt sponsorship deal with the club to be temporarily suspended.

This comes in the wake of several sanctions being placed on the club due to Roman Abramovich's affiliation with the Russian government.

The club were rocked earlier today by announcements restricting merchandise and ticket sales, with only season-ticket holders allowed to attend matches at the moment.

Now, the Blues might also have to play without a shirt sponsor, as Three have stated a suspension for their sponsorship of the Stamford Bridge outfit.

A statement by the company shed further light on the decision:

"In light of the government's recently announced sanctions, we have requested Chelsea Football Club temporarily suspend our sponsorship of the club, including 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.

"As a mobile network, the best way we can support the people of Ukraine is to ensure refugees arriving in the UK from the conflict and customers currently in Ukraine can stay connected to the people who matter to them. Therefore, we are offering connectivity packages to all Ukrainians arriving in the UK, and those in Ukraine."

The West London club are due to face Norwich City at Carrow Road on Thursday night and might have to play in plain shirts without a sponsor.

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Chelsea's 117th anniversary has hardly gone according to plan

The Blues turned 117 on Thursday

Chelsea marked their 117th anniversary on Thursday, March 10 but have been rocked by negative news on what should have been a celebratory occasion.

The club's shop at Stamford Bridge was shut down this morning, although their online merchandise store was still functional at the time of filing this report.

However, the club's online ticket store is currently undergoing maintenance which might not be unconnected to the government's directive.

Roman Abramovich was added to the United Kingdom's sanctions list owing to his high-profile relationship with Russia's leader Vladimir Putin.