Chelsea want FA Cup tie with Middlesbrough played behind closed doors
- Published
Chelsea beat Luton 3-2 in the fifth round of the FA Cup
Chelsea have asked for Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final at Middlesbrough to be played behind closed doors because their fans can no longer buy tickets.
The government issued a licence to allow Chelsea to continue playing after freezing the assets of Russian owner Roman Abramovich.
Under the terms, Chelsea are not allowed to sell tickets, external to any matches.
Middlesbrough said they will challenge the "bizarre" and "ironic" request "in the strongest possible terms".
Championship club Middlesbrough added the request - made by Chelsea "for matters of sporting integrity" - was "without any merit whatsoever".
Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson told The Athletic, external: "Chelsea and sporting integrity do not belong in the same sentence.
"Where is the intellect of Bruce Buck, the chairman of Chelsea, who has been an apologist for his owner, where the trophies won over 19 years have come from the corrupt money provided by Abramovich?" Gibson added.
"Where is the intellect of the chairman of Chelsea when it comes to playing his games at home in front of his season-ticket holders? Does he want to play all his away games at empty stadiums?
"Abramovich has been kicked out of football and Bruce Buck should be kicked out of football too."
The Football Association will make a decision on Wednesday.
Chelsea Supporters Trust asked the club to withdraw the request, saying it "does not benefit" any fans.
Chelsea want to maintain 'sporting integrity'
Chelsea had sold between 500 and 600 tickets of their 4,620 allocation before the licence placing restrictions on the club came into effect on 10 March.
The measure was introduced to stop oligarch Abramovich, who is looking to sell Chelsea, from profiting.
He has been banned from being a club director and the sale of Chelsea has been delayed after the UK government sanctioned him over his connection to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Chelsea said they made the request "with extreme reluctance" to the FA not to allow fans of either side at the Riverside "for matters of sporting integrity".
A statement read: "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."
Middlesbrough, who have knocked out Premier League sides Manchester United and Tottenham in this year's competition, said: "To suggest as a result that MFC and our fans should be penalised is not only grossly unfair but without any foundation.
"Given the reasons for these sanctions, for Chelsea to seek to invoke sporting 'integrity' as reason for the game being played behind closed doors is ironic in the extreme."
FA boss expects quarter-final to go ahead
Chelsea said on Monday they were talking to the government on a daily basis "in search of a resolution" to the issue of selling tickets, and that the Premier League and FA had spoken to the government about the potential sporting integrity issues raised.
The government last week granted an amendment to the licence, allowing Chelsea to spend £900,000 on costs for home games - up from the £500,000 set on Thursday - but the allowable away costs remain at £20,000 per game.
Sports minister Nigel Huddleston said the government is in "discussions" with Chelsea "to look at ways ways we could potentially enable further ticket sales".
Speaking at a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) session about the role of Russian money in the ownership and sponsorship of clubs, Huddleston said licence amendments taken so far were "precisely to stop" Chelsea from going into administration.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham told the DCMS session that he "would expect the (Middlesbrough) game to go ahead".
The match, which starts at 17:15 GMT, will be broadcast live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
A government spokesman said: "We are working to ensure more away fans can attend games, but this must be compatible with the licence so we ensure that no additional revenue can be raised."
Travel needs are about injuries, not 'bling' - Tuchel
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, whose side face Lille in the Champions League last 16 second leg on Wednesday, said they have made adjustments to travel with a budget of £20,000.
The amount spent on travel for an away Premier League match is about £30,000, while European away fixtures add an extra premium.
Tuchel said travel needs were centred around players avoiding possible soft-tissue injuries during a busy schedule rather than "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," he said.
"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.
"Regarding these organisations, it is already more difficult to arrange things on a professional level, in the best way possible, for the FA Cup.
"But we will deal with it. As long as we have shirts and are 'alive' as a team, we will be competitive and fight hard for our success. We owe it to the people who support us.
"We are in the spotlight and it is our responsibility to do so. We will do it."
Chelsea 'throwing their toys out of the pram' - analysis
BBC sports editor Dan Roan
Within government I am told by one senior source there is "exasperation" at what was described to me as a "tin-eared request" by Chelsea to play the match behind closed doors.
Officials feel they are bending over backwards to allow Chelsea to play with a special licence, when other businesses in similar circumstances would not have received such assistance, and they have been listening to the club's concerns.
But the feeling within Whitehall is Chelsea are now trying to penalise other clubs for the predicament they are in, and are mystified they are prioritising tickets and travel arrangements.
I am told Chelsea wanted more than 4,000 fans at Middlesbrough rather than the 500 they were due to have, and this is seen as "throwing their toys out of the pram" at the first opportunity.
Blues do intend to fulfil FA Cup fixture
BBC Sport's Simon Stone
BBC Sport has been told the Stamford Bridge club never thought it was likely the Football Association would agree to their request and they do intend to fulfil the fixture.
However, it was done to try to get the government to understand the complexities around the predicament they are in.
Under FA rules, Chelsea are entitled to 45% of the gate receipts from Saturday's game. In theory, that should net the Blues in excess of £300,000.
But they have no idea whether they will receive the payment - or whether it will be withheld within the terms of the special licence, handed out by the government, which they are operating under.
In April, they have home games against Brentford and West Ham - and could also have a Champions League quarter-final and FA Cup semi-final to play. If Chelsea are not allowed to sell tickets, they will be millions of pounds out of pocket which could have a massively damaging impact on the club.
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