Soccer-Portugal gives sanctioned citizen Abramovich green light to sell Chelsea

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Chelsea v Watford - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - May 22, 2022 Fans inside the stadium during the match. REUTERS/Tony Obrien

LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal has given its blessing to the sale of Chelsea by Russian-born billionaire Roman Abramovich, who became a Portuguese citizen last year and is under European Union sanctions, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

He put the London club up for sale in early March following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Abramovich has been sanctioned by the British government and the European Union over his links to Vladimir Putin. He has denied having close ties to the Russian President.