March 22, (THEWILL) – Chelsea is anticipated to receive a full ticket allocation for their FA Cup semi-final match against Crystal Palace next month.
It will be a relief for the Blues because as part of the restrictions imposed on current owner Roman Abramovich following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the club is currently prohibited from selling more tickets to their matches.
The Football Association, on the other hand, has acknowledged that it is in “hopeful” negotiations with the government about making an exception for the Wembley game.
An FA statement confirmed this saying: “We hope to have sell-out crowds at both of our Emirates FA Cup Semi Finals at Wembley Stadium.
“This includes tickets for Chelsea supporters for their match against Crystal Palace and we are working with the government on a method to achieve this whilst respecting the sanctions that are currently in place on Chelsea.”
Chelsea fans should be permitted to see their club play at Wembley, according to Julian Knight, the leader of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee.
Knight said: “Chelsea is more than just its owner, it’s a living organism with huge importance to its fans and community. It was understandable that, at short notice, last week’s game against Middlesbrough went ahead without Chelsea fans.
“But with this much notice, the FA have no excuse for excluding them. The FA must be allowed to sell tickets to Chelsea fans so long as all money goes to the people of Ukraine.”
The build-up to this match has also been contentious, with fan organisations from both teams pushing for the match to be moved from Wembley because there are no trains going from either city to London on that weekend.
Despite this tremendous bottleneck, the match does not look to be moving anytime soon.
Manchester City will face Liverpool in the other semi-final.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
