Chelsea are locked in talks with the Government to let fans into their FA Cup semi-final.
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) are coming under increasing pressure to let the European champions sell tickets again, after they booked their place in the last four against Crystal Palace next month.
Thomas Tuchel’s side take on Palace at Wembley on April 16 or 17.
But as it stands, Chelsea will not be able to sell tickets to their fans as part of the sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich.
They also face the prospect of playing against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final at Stamford Bridge behind closed doors because of the refusal to ease the terms of the special licence that allows them to continue football operations.
Chelsea officials are holding daily talks at Government level — but both they and the FA are still being kept in the dark as to what will happen regarding the FA Cup.
Chelsea have been lobbying to have restrictions eased and successfully saw their budget for hosting home games increased from £500,000 to £900,000 per match. But they have so far had no joy in convincing the OFSI to allow them to sell tickets, which they claim provides vital revenue to allow them to continue operations.
There is genuine fear the club will face financial peril if the terms are not altered. There remains hope the international break will provide an opportunity for a change in the licence, but another potential stumbling block is the sheer amount of sanctioned parties the OFSI are having to process aside from Abramovich following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Last week, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced 370 more sanctions, taking the number of designated individuals or entities to more than 1,000.
But the pressure to come up with a solution for Chelsea has only been intensified after they secured their place in the last four of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win against Middlesbrough.
That result followed their progression to the Champions League quarter-finals last week, which then saw them drawn against Real in the most glamorous tie of the round.
The FA will try to come up with a solution if the Government refuse to back down, but that could raise questions over the safety of fan segregation if Chelsea are not in control of their own sales.
Tickets are not yet on general sale.
UEFA will also be determined to see a full stadium when Real travel to Stamford Bridge on April 6. As it stands, that game will have to be played behind closed doors.
