Thomas Tuchel said: “As long as we have enough shirts and a bus to drive to the games we will be there and will compete hard,” after sanctions placed on Roman Abramovich; Emma Hayes admits club must “navigate difficult period” but says war in Ukraine helps to put struggles into perspective
Thursday 10 March 2022 23:12, UK
Thomas Tuchel says he is “still happy” to be Chelsea’s head coach but admits he and the team “cannot influence” the situation after the club’s owner Roman Abramovich was hit by sanctions from the UK government.
The sanctions – which were handed down on Thursday morning – have resulted in Abramovich’s assets being frozen, plus “a prohibition on transactions with UK individuals and businesses, a travel ban and transport sanctions”.
Speaking for the first time since the sanctions were placed on Abramovich, Tuchel said ahead of Chelsea’s 3-1 win at Norwich: “I don’t know if I’m concerned but we are aware of it and it changes almost every day. We cannot do much about it.
Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol explains what the sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich will mean for Chelsea
“I’m still happy to be here, still happy to be manager of a strong football team and I’m happy to play the match today. I know there’s a lot of noise around and still we allow ourselves to try our best to focus on football.”
Asked whether returning to Premier League action would be a relief for him and his players given the day’s events, Tuchel said: “Relief would mean we struggle with all the information and the news out there.
“It is quite a big change from yesterday to today, but we cannot influence it. We didn’t cause the situation. In the moment, it seems like business – football-wise – is more or less protected. But let’s see – it can change tomorrow.
