When it comes to the richest clubs in world soccer, Chelsea may have been one of the first teams to come up to mind - until now. The Blues have enjoyed a long period of wealth under billionaire owner Roman Abramovich, but the outlook has been different over the last few weeks.
Things have changed for the Premier League club following the Russia invasion of Ukraine, as the british government sanctioned Abramovich by freezing his assets due to his ties to Vladimir Putin.
That decision has inevitably taken a toll on Chelsea's finances as well, as sponsors have tried to distance themselves from the Blues and their owners' links to the Russian government. Shirt sponsor Three has not only decided to suspend payments but it also requested to be removed from the jerseys. But why do Chelsea continue to play with a 3 in their shirt?
The reason why Chelsea wear 3 on their jerseys
For those who need context, Three is a telecommunications company that sponsors Chelsea's jerseys in a deal that, according to Goal, brings in about $52 million per season to the club's finances.
As many sponsors, however, Three decided to put payments on hold while the club's current owners are linked to Putin's government. But Chelsea continue to wear 3 in their jersey because they don't have the funds to change all their uniforms.
The club is in a very delicate financial situation at the moment so it has to prioritize to spend on those things that cannot be overlooked. So, despite they are not receiving money for wearing the Three logo in their jerseys, they can't afford to remove it from their shirts right now.
