Middlesbrough have labelled Chelsea’s request to play Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final at the Riverside Stadium behind closed doors as “bizarre” and “without any merit whatsoever”.
Chelsea have made the request after the Government blocked the Blues from selling away tickets for the game.
The restriction over the sale of tickets is in place after Chelsea’s owner, Roman Abramovich, was sanctioned by the UK Government last week as part of its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Chelsea have lobbied for the Government to relax the strict operating licence put in place, which also prevents them from selling merchandise or conducting player transfers.
Talks with the Government have so far failed and Chelsea have now questioned the FA Cup quarter-final’s “sporting integrity” should home fans be allowed, but not travelling supporters.
But in a statement, Middlesbrough said: “We are aware of Chelsea's request to have Saturday's Emirates FA Cup sixth round tie played behind closed doors and find their suggestion both bizarre and without any merit whatsoever.
“All concerned are well aware of the reasons Chelsea have been sanctioned and that this has nothing to do with Middlesbrough Football Club.
“To suggest as 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.
“We currently await formal notification from the FA of the next steps but rest assured MFC will resist Chelsea's actions in the strongest terms.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the FA said Chelsea’s request would be discussed at a meeting of the Professional Game Board on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have been strongly criticised by the Government as “not seeming to understand the seriousness of the situation they are in”.
“We are working around the clock to enable Chelsea to continue operating as a club in the interest of the fans, a senior Government source told POLITICO’s London Playbook editor, Alex Wickham.
“This statement threatening Middlesbrough and the rest of the football league shows they do not seem to understand the seriousness of the situation they are in, being owned by an entity that has been sanctioned because of links to a person responsible for appalling acts in Ukraine.
“We are not opposed to Chelsea having fans at games in the long run, but we will not allow money from ticket sales to flow to a sanctioned entity.
“Chelsea should spend less time worrying about having a few thousand fans at one game, and focus on moving their club into the hands of someone who isn't linked to a warmonger.'”
