Brazilian football agent Luis Fernando Garcia has hit out at the treatment of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich by the UK government.

Abramovich has seen Chelsea seized by the government after being sanctioned for his ties with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Garcia, who has Malcolm and Claudinho at Zenit St Petersburg, told Sport-Express: “I believe that everything will pass quickly. Politics and football have nothing in common. What the British government did, for example, with Abramovich and Chelsea is completely absurd.

“Abramovich has invested heavily in the Premier League. Before him, Chelsea was a small club. I am not his friend and I am not Abramovich’s lawyer, but I cannot understand such a decision. Sports and football have nothing to do with political and economic sanctions.

“Athletes should not suffer because of political decisions. To remove Russia from the World Cup and clubs from European competitions is barbaric. No one in the RFS has a weapon in their hands – people care about football. The same is true for Olympic sports. Sports save lives, you know?

“An unfair, wrong decision by all parties, which has nothing to do with sports! Brazil is now in a neutral position. We don’t even know exactly what’s going on. You see a lot of misinformation in the press, a lot of fake news. But once again: sport is not politics.”