Update: Nike will not cancel their deal with Chelsea and will remain committed to the club, according to the Athletic, with "sources close to Nike" telling them so. This will come as good news to Chelsea fans as the Blues' contract with their technical sponsor is worth £900 million over 15 years. With 9 years still to run of that deal, the club would have been in serious financial trouble had Nike decided to cut ties with them.
Nike have still not commented publicly on the matter.
Original:Following on from the UK government's announcement of sanctions on Russian businessmen including Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea Online Megastore has been taken offline and the physical megastore has been closed.
Megastore Closed: Nike and other sponsors to Suspend Chelsea Deals?
The above photo shows the sign pinned up on the Chelsea Megastore in London and the following messsage is shown on screen when trying to access the club's official online store:
Due to the latest government announcement, the Chelsea Megastore Official Online Store shall be offline until further notice.
The appearance of the site, just a blank screen with the message displayed, suggests that it was taken down very hastily. Earlier tonight we reported that main shirt sponsor Three have suspended their deal with Chelsea, so it is possible that other commercial partners could do the same. Taking the site offline prevents merchandise with sponsor logos from being sold to supporters, with the other logo prominently visible on Chelsea's gear being that of Nike.
Could Nike follow Three's lead and suspend their contract with Chelsea?
Will Nike follow and suspend their deal with Chelsea? In light of everything that is happening in Ukraine, as well as the actions of hundreds of brands distancing themselves from any Russian entities, it is definitely possible.
No statement has been released yet by Nike or Chelsea. We will update this story as it develops.