'Putin is to blame, what the government did is right' - Klopp supports sanctions on Abramovich

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has spoken on the recent sanctions placed on Chelsea Football Club as a result of the United Kingdom freezing the assets of Chelsea's owner Roman Abramovich.

Abramovich is one of seven (7) Russian oligarchs sanctioned by the United Kingdom following Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

As a result of the sanctions, Chelsea are unable to sign or sell players, agree to new deals for current players, and sell Matchday tickets or club merchandise.

During his pre-match press conference ahead of Liverpool's clash with Brighton, Klopp noted the manager, players, and staff at Chelsea are not responsible for what is happening with the club.

The German manager also stated that he does not talk to his German counterpart (Tuchel) often.

Klopp said: "I don't speak to him that often. The Chelsea employees are not responsible for what is happening. One man is responsible for that, and it's Vladimir Putin."

Furthermore, Klopp agreed that the UK government was right to sanction Abramovich due to his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Klopp: "I don't know about Roman Abramovich's role in all of this but you can say he is close [to Putin]. I think what the Government did is right."

Chelsea picked up an impressive 3-1 victory over Norwich City on Thursday night, after which Tuchel described the sanctions against the club as distractions and expects that the busy schedule should keep the players occupied.