Sanctioned

The sale of Chelsea Football Club in 2022 was one of the highest-profile and most controversial sports transactions of all time. In the shadow of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, what unfolded after Roman Abramovich was forced to put his beloved club up for sale would change English football forever.

Under the threat of bankruptcy and ruin, Chelsea pulled off a complex transaction in three tense and troubling months—a quarter of the time many analysts would normally set aside for such a deal. Sanctioned is the definitive account of this unique period.

Through unprecedented access to Abramovich himself and key figures from Chelsea’s new ownership, as well as further interviews with a star-studded footballing cast, Nick Purewal unfolds a wide-ranging tale of political sanctions, hushed negotiations and Cold War-style geopolitics, all told in vivid, propulsive prose against a backdrop of war on the edge of Europe.

From the club’s owners to its staff, players and supporters, via UK government intervention, dramatic peace talks and even a foul-play poisoning episode, Sanctioned chronicles ninety-five extraordinary days in English football.