Chelsea have asked for their FA Cup quarter-final against Middlesbrough to be played behind closed doors “for matters of sporting integrity”.

The club has been impacted by sanctions brought by the UK government against owner Roman Abramovich and is unable to sell tickets to away matches.

Thomas Tuchel’s side are due to play Middlesborough at the Riverside Stadium on 19 March, with only some Chelsea fans having been able to buy tickets before the sanctions were imposed.

In a statement, the club said: “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.”

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The club added that it had been in discussion with the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation about ticket sales for this weekend’s match but had been unable to find a breakthrough.

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Chelsea are allowed to continue operating through a special licence granted by the government, which allows existing ticket holders to attend matches, but new sales, including home and away matchday tickets, are not allowed.

The Football Association said in a statement they are “aware of Chelsea FC’s request” and it will be discussed at the Professional Game Board meeting tomorrow.

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Sports Minister Nigel Huddlestone gave evidence to the Department of Media, Culture and Sport select committee on Tuesday and said the government may amend its licence to allow Chelsea to sell tickets.

“The measures we have taken and the licence we have given to Chelsea is to precisely stop [Chelsea going out of business],” he said.

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“It is to allow Chelsea still to play, for staff to still be paid, to honour ticket sales already, and we are discussions with Chelsea and the fans to see if we can allow further ticket sales because we want the sanctions to hit those we intend to hit and not others.

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“We are looking at options. But there will be consequences of sanctions. Roman Abramovich has links to Vladimir Putin, and let’s not forget this is because of in invasion of a sovereign nation where people are dying.

“But we want to ensure the sanctions-hit those we intend to hit and there is minimal impact elsewhere.

“But there will be inconvenience as a result. We would welcome the sale (of the club) and we would change the licence to enable that sale, and that would be important for Chelsea.”

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Following Chelsea’s request, the club’s supporters’ trust released a statement asking the club to “withdraw the request for the Middlesbrough game to be played behind closed doors”.

“The CST has made it clear to the government and the Sports Minister, Nigel Huddleston, that supports must be able to watch their team,” the statement said.

“We strongly urge government to amend the license and allow supporters to obtain tickets. Playing behind closed doors does not benefit any supporters.”

Chelsea ‘have a framework’ to play Champions League tie

Chelsea are due to play Lille in France on Wednesday in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie but there are question marks about how they will travel to the game.

The government licence limits the club to spending £20,000 per away match on travel, a figure which Chelsea are looking to increase.

The average Premier League clubs spend on away matches comes to £30,000 and away fixtures in European competition add an extra premium.

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Manager Thomas Tuchel admitted Chelsea has already have a framework to play in Lille.

He said: “It isn’t about luxury and bling-bling. This is just a professional level of sports, where we play with two days between matches with our opponent having four days between matches and we arrive with the possibilities of injuries.

“For that, it is better to arrive with a plane rather than a bus. From my understanding, we have a framework to go and play in Lille with absolutely no excuses.”

Chelsea Supporters’ Trust write an open letter to the prospective owner

Before the sanctions were imposed on Mr Abramovich, the billionaire had put the club up for sale for £3bn.

While it is unclear if he will be able to sell Chelsea, a number of suitors have expressed interest in buying the club, including the owner of the Houston Rockets Tilman Fertitta and property developer Nick Candy.

On Tuesday, the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust wrote an open letter to the prospective owner asking that the outstanding debt the club has with Stamford Bridge’s owners is “forgiven” and the recommendations of the 2021 Fan-led Review of Football Governance are implemented.

“Chelsea FC have been in the Premier League since it started in 1992, though of course, the club history goes a lot further back than that,” the trust said in the letter.

“Chelsea have played at the same ground since its inception, one of the very few English top-flight clubs who can make that claim. The club has long had a strong commitment to the local community.

“Through the initiatives of the Chelsea Foundation, to supporting past players, to the relationship with the nearby Brompton Cemetery, to the local cafes, pubs, restaurants which have always welcomed supporters.”

Read more:

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