London (AP) – After the ticket sales stop due to the sanctions against the Russian club owner Roman Abramowitsch, the Champions League winner FC Chelsea is now abandoning an attempt to play in the cup without spectators.
According to a message dated March 15, the club had initially asked the English Football Association FA to allow the quarter-final game in the FA Cup at Middlesbrough FC planned for March 19 to take place behind closed doors for reasons of “sporting integrity”.
The FA responded to the request and announced “after constructive talks” that Chelsea would not pursue this plan any further and would withdraw the application. Solutions should now be sought together as to how fans of both teams can be present at the encounter, while at the same time respecting the sanctions, it said in a statement.
Chelsea request ‘bizarre and unjustified’
In the club’s opinion, excluding all spectators was “the fairest way under the current conditions”. The club is well aware of the impact of such a decision on opposing fans and their own supporters who had already bought tickets before the ban.
The reaction at second division club Middlesbrough was clear: the Chelsea request was “bizarre and unjustified”, according to a statement from the club. “To suggest that MFC and our fans should be penalized is not only grossly unfair but also completely unfounded,” the statement continued.
The Londoners are also not allowed to transfer players because of the sanctions against Abramovich and had to close all fan shops. The British government had imposed the strict measures against the owner because of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. Chelsea are allowed to continue playing thanks to a special license from the British government.