The sale of Chelsea FC in 2022 was one of the highest-profile and most controversial sports transactions of all time. In the shadow of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, what unfolded after Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale would change English football forever. Under the threat of bankruptcy and ruin, Chelsea pulled off a complex transaction in a quarter of the time many analysts would normally set aside for such a deal. Sanctioned is the definitive account of this unique period.
Author Nick Purewal, a freelance reporter and writer with twenty years’ experience in news and sports journalism, gained unprecedented access to Abramovich and the star-studded footballing cast unfolding a wide-ranging tale of political sanctions, hushed negotiations and Cold War-style geopolitics, all told against a backdrop of war on the edge of Europe.
During his tenure as the club’s owner, Abramovich worked with Chelsea to combat antisemitism and hatred, launching the celebrated campaign “Say No to Antisemitism” in 2018, which tackled racism and discrimination on the field and in the stands. Under Abramovich, the club became the first sports team in the world to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition on antisemitism. The club also installed a mural of three footballers who were victims of Nazi concentration camps on the stadium at Stamford Bridge ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day in 2021.
From the club’s owners to its staff, players and supporters, via UK government intervention, dramatic peace talks and even a foul-play poisoning episode, Sanctioned chronicles ninety-five extraordinary days in English football.
Nick reported on the entirety of the Chelsea sale in his role as Chelsea correspondent at the Press Association, breaking the world exclusive that Roman Abramovich was working to help the early peace process between Russia and Ukraine. Beginning his career at the Grimsby Telegraph, Nick has also worked for the Newcastle Chronicle, the Gloucester Citizen and the Evening Standard and now freelances for a variety of national outlets in addition to ghostwriting books and working on other long-format projects.
Olivia Beattie, Editorial Director at Biteback, acquired world rights from Humfrey Hunter.
Purewal said: ‘The Chelsea sale flew by so quickly that many crucial events could only be reported in passing. I have spent almost two years painstakingly delving into a host of key incidents, and the result is an impartial account pulling together experiences and attitudes from all sides in a bid to produce the definitive story of three months that changed Chelsea and English football forever. I am delighted and proud that Biteback have not only taken on this project but also shown it the same care and attention as I have, and I must thank Olivia Beattie and Humfrey Hunter for that, as well as a host of interviewees.’
Beattie said: ‘Nick’s talent for drawing detail and colour out of his interviewees, combined with his propulsive prose, makes this fast-paced narrative utterly gripping. This is not just for Chelsea fans – it’s a vivid blend of geopolitics and sport featuring astonishing insider detail.’
Sanctioned will be published in summer 2025, supported by a major marketing and publicity campaign.
Price: £20 hardback
ISBN:9781785909894
For more information please contact Suzanne Sangster on suzanne.sangster@bitebackpublishing.com or 07818 810173