After owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government, Frank Lampard believes his old club Chelsea is going through a “tough moment”
As part of its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the government sanctioned Abramovich and a number of other Russian oligarchs.
The fines are aimed at preventing Abramovich from profiting from Chelsea, and the news has put an end to his intentions to sell the Premier League team.
Chelsea can continue to operate thanks to a special government licence, but the club’s future remains unknown, with former player Pat Nevin claiming the west Londoners are in’serious danger.’
Reacting to the sanctions imposed on Abramovich and his former club Chelsea, Everton manager Lampard said on Friday afternoon: ‘Well I don’t know the specifics about it other than what all of us have read.
‘I haven’t seen the headlines about people losing their jobs but clearly I managed there for almost two years, I played there for 13 years, so I’ve got plenty of friends at the club and behind the scenes.
‘Obviously from a human level I care about it, especially if it means people are losing their jobs. I don’t know the detail on it.
‘I care about the fans of Chelsea who will be there from the beginning and before us and will be there after us.
‘It’s a tough moment for the club. I don’t want to hang on it too much because I’m the manager of Everton and that’s absolutely my priority.
‘But of course on a human level, for people who are just doing their jobs and giving everything to their jobs – and if those jobs are in danger – you care a lot about that.’
Asked how the Chelsea players will be feeling amid the uncertainty, Lampard added: ‘A lot of players will just concentrate on the job at hand.
‘I tried to do that as a player but this is bigger than that, I understand that. There is some doubt and uncertainty over the future, not just at Chelsea but in the world when we see what’s happening on the news.’
Chelsea were not distracted by the chaos at the club on Thursday night as they beat bottom-placed Norwich City 3-1 to strengthen their grip on third place in the Premier League.
Blues boss Thomas Tuchel said: ‘The first half was brilliant. You have a 2-0 lead, It feels like a 3-0 or 4-0 lead.
‘Then you give a penalty away and concede and things get complicated. It’s life. I’m happy with the result.’
‘It is significant news,’ Tuchel said of the Chelsea conjecture following the punishment. It is enormous and, of course, has a significant impact, therefore it is the focus of the discussions.
‘Maybe on a day like this you would talk about the Champions League games last night but nobody talks about this. So it nice to enter a schedule before a match as it helps to focus as we’re used to it.
‘We cannot influence it so we allowed ourselves to enjoy it. We have the privilege to play and sometimes it’s good to sweat it out. We tried to work hard to get the focus out.
‘I would love to talk about sport but of course I understand you have a lot of questions. We are also an entertainment so that’s why it is like this.’