CHELSEA face a nine-point penalty IF the club end up in administration.
Russian owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government on Thursday due to his close ties with Vladimir Putin.
As a result, his assets – including Chelsea – have been FROZEN.
The club are unable to sell home and away match tickets, with only season ticket holders allowed to attend games.
Merchandise sales have also been halted, but the club can sell food and drink.
There is also a ban on any transfers – incoming or outgoing – and new contracts cannot be handed out.
It effectively means Chelsea now have no source of income.
If the club were to end up in administration they could face a NINE-POINT penalty deduction.
Were they hit with that punishment today, they would drop to seventh in the Premier League table with Arsenal, Manchester United, West Ham and Tottenham moving up.
The Blues are five points above the Gunners and six points above fifth placed United.
According to the Daily Mail’s Rob Draper, the sanctions will be reviewed in May.
The drama off the pitch could end up having an affect on it with the club only allowed to spend £20,000 on travel for away matches.
That throws their trip to Lille in the Champions League into major doubt.
Chelsea beat the French side 2-0 in the first leg of their last-16 showdown in February.
It comes as:
But with the second leg scheduled for Wednesday night, the club would ordinarily fly out on a private plane the day before the match and stay in a luxury hotel.
However, that is likely to breach the £20,000 budget laid out in the ‘Russian regulations.’
Lille are one of the closet clubs on the continent to Chelsea that are left in the competition, being just a three-and-a-half-hour drive away.