Chelsea Mocked By Angry Fans Following Club's Ticket Website Block Excuse

Chelsea's ticketing website being blocked for "scheduled maintenance" has been roundly mocked by some fans online, in light of this morning's breaking news surrounding the club's owner.

The UK government's sanctions against Roman Abramovich are expected to have a raft of consequences for the reigning European champions over the coming weeks and months.

One such punishment will apply to fans, as tickets cannot be purchased for any future games unless they have already been brought before the implementation of Thursday's sanctions.

With this in mind, some Chelsea supporters were less than amused with the club's ticket website using "scheduled maintenance" as the go-to excuse for why the site was suddenly blocked.

One social media user wrote: "Scheduled maintenance? Really?"

"No better time to do maintenance than when you can't sell anything," another quipped.

No additional information was given to disgruntled fans who tried to access the website, with Chelsea staff having to move quickly to block access earlier this morning.

A third commented: "Chelsea under the impression that fans don't read the news."

Alongside fans being unable to buy tickets, action taken against Abramovich by the UK government will have a far more direct impact on the pitch itself.

For one, Chelsea (under the new sanctions) won't be permitted to buy any new players, or renew any existing contracts. While a sale of the club to an interested buyer is still possible under the sanctions, it would have to go through the government, and a special license would need to be obtained.

Another problem that has arisen is getting to France next week for the second-leg of the Champions League tie against Lille.

The Blues have been prohibited from spending more than £20,000 on travelling to away games, which is a very tight limit for foreign trips. They also won't be able to exceed £500,000 for the hosting of home matches, at least until the sanctions are reassessed in May of this year.

Chelsea's away trip to Norwich this evening is scheduled to go ahead as planned, in spite of the turmoil caused by the government seizing Abramovich's UK assets.

Stamford Bridge