Trivago signed a multi-year partnership with Chelsea last May and has called for a swift transition of ownership at the west London club.

It comes after Chelsea’s long-time owner, Roman Abramovich, was this week sanctioned by the UK government owing to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, plunging the club into chaos.

Trivago, while condemning Russia’s invasion, said on Friday (11 March) it would not walk away from Chelsea, stressing it believed its partnership with the club could help make a difference on the ground in Ukraine.

"As a global travel brand, we believe in connecting and bringing people together," said Trivago in a statement. "These are values shared by Chelsea Football Club, an institution that is now 117 years old with a tradition so vitally important to its fans and communities, both locally and globally, and that is why we decided to partner with the club last year.

"The uncertainty over the current ownership situation of Chelsea FC has been challenging. Moving forward, it is important to us to continue supporting the club, the fans and community along with the essential work that the Chelsea Foundation does to help those in need. We are looking forward to a transition of ownership as soon as possible and want to support the club in this process. We will provide any update to our business relationship if and when appropriate."

The statement added: "As a company of global citizens, we cannot condone the unprovoked and catastrophic invasion of Ukraine. We believe in a free world, freedom of speech and peace. We continue our efforts together with our teams to support the humanitarian efforts and to ease the suffering of the affected population. We stand with Ukraine."