Chelsea Football Club has been granted special license for football-related activity to continue following the sanctioning of owner Roman Abramovich but, with a ban on ticket and merchandise sales as well as restrictions on player transfers, this is a worrying time for employees at the club.

Kate Palmer, HR Advice and Consultancy Director at Peninsula, says “The cascading effect of the sanctions placed on Abramovich will be felt by the workforce at Stamford Bridge and associated supply chains.

“Perhaps most importantly from a HR perspective, the closing of ticket merchandise outlets means that those workers will need to be reallocated to other duties for the period of closure. If reallocation isn’t possible, then employees may need to be laid off and, ultimately, may face redundancy if the closure continues.

“Although the licence allows Chelsea FC to continue to pay staff wages, it is up to the club’s staff contracts to determine how much laid off staff will be paid. Spending limits on security, catering and stewarding may require further cut backs of labour.

“One of the trickiest elements of the process is that there is no certainty on how long this period will last.

“Chelsea’s HR function needs to step up here; this unique situation will naturally cause confusion and worry amongst affected staff and it’s important HR are up to date with the impact of employment laws to ensure this doesn’t create further problems for the club.

“Daily communication to staff on developments and clarity on what HR is doing about them is needed.

“The football industry, like all others, suffered during the pandemic and staff who were just starting to get back on a more even keel are now once again dealing with a lot of uncertainty.”