March 15, (THEWILL) – Chelsea has requested that their forthcoming FA Cup match against Middlesbrough be played behind closed doors, after they were unable to sell their whole ticket allotment.
THEWILL recalls that Chelsea was slammed with a special operating licence, after owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned, which restricts their day-to-day operations, including prohibiting the sale of tickets to anyone who is not a season ticket holder.
Chelsea has been in talks with the government to amend the terms of their licence, but they were unable to reach an agreement before the ticket sales deadline, meaning they will only be bringing a quarter of their authorised away support.
Chelsea has asked that the match be played in an empty stadium, citing a problem with sporting integrity.
A statement from the club read: “Despite engaging in extensive discussions with the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), the deadline to purchase away tickets has passed without appropriate amendments being made to the Government licence which would allow a full allocation of Chelsea supporters to attend.
“Executives at Middlesbrough had been kind enough to extend their deadline for ticket sales and stadium allocation from 7.30pm last night until 9.30am this morning.
“It is important for the competition that the match against Middlesbrough goes ahead. However, it is with extreme reluctance that we are asking the FA board to direct that the game be played behind closed doors for matters of sporting integrity.
“Chelsea FC recognises that such an outcome would have a huge impact on Middlesbrough and its supporters, as well as our own fans, who have already bought the limited number of tickets that were sold before the licence was imposed, but we believe this is the fairest way of proceeding in the current circumstances.
“We will continue to discuss the issue of ticket sales with OFSI, as there are a number of fixtures still to be played this season and we hope to reach a resolution.”
The FA acknowledged in a statement that they will meet on Wednesday and Chelsea’s request will be considered.
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.
