The FA have confirmed that they are working with the Government to find a suitable way to sell tickets to Wembley to Chelsea fans.
The Blues are currently operating under a special license which means that they cannot sell new tickets, with only season ticket holders currently able to attend fixtures, or merchandise due to the sanctions imposed on owner Roman Abramovich. The Russian owner has public links with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Blues owner is desperately trying to sell the club with several different bidders in the running for the Stamford Bridge outfit. Fans, players and staff alike will all be pleased when a deal is complete, and it will mean that supporters can return to the stadiums.
However, fans may not have to wait that long until they purchase a ticket to watch their beloved side as they could be able to buy tickets for Chelsea’s FA Cup semi-final clash against Crystal Palace. The Blues cruised past Middlesbrough on Saturday evening in the quarter-finals with goals from Romelu Lukaku and Hakim Ziyech.
But many have called for the sanctions to be dropped for the semi-final due to the size of the occasion, and the FA have made a statement. They wrote: “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 while respecting the sanctions that are currently in place on Chelsea.” The Times have reported that one way that the club could sell tickets is via a commercial ticketing agency, with funds raised being put into a frozen account.
The proposal for the agency to handle sales has been given to the Office of Sanctions Implementation. There has been plenty of pressure for the plan to be greenlighted and cries for fans not to suffer as a result of their owner.
Julian Knight MP, the chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said: “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.”
Chelsea previously requested that their game against Boro was played behind closed doors but received plenty of backlash for the plea and soon backtracked. However, they aren’t expected to back down on their request for supporters to be able to visit Wembley – especially as no tickets will have previously been sold to fans and thus the stands dedicated to Chelsea fans will be completely empty. The FA Cup is a great opportunity for Thomas Tuchel to win more silverware at the Blues and give fans a positive reason to remember this season.
