The Football Association (FA) have sought to assure Chelsea fans that they will be allowed into Wembley Stadium for the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace.
As part of the sanctions placed on owner Roman Abramovich, Chelsea are prohibited from selling tickets or merchandise, leaving their fans fearing being locked out of the match on April 16 or 17.
But the FA have been in talks with the Government and confirmed they hope to have sell-out crowds at both semi-finals at Wembley.
A commercial agency could sell tickets for the Chelsea game, with ticket revenue going into a frozen account so it would not be in breach of UK sanctions.
An FA spokesperson said: “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.”
MP Julian Knight, the chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, has called for changes to the special licence imposed on Chelsea.
Mr Knight said: “It is ridiculous that we face the prospect of a half full Wembley for the Chelsea vs Palace FA cup semi-final.
“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.”
