Former Chelsea defender Graeme Le Saux has slammed the club for their "embarrassing" request ahead of the FA Cup quarter-final clash with Middlesbrough this weekend.
With the Blues unable to sell any further match tickets for home or away matches, they revealed on Tuesday that a request had been made to play the game behind closed doors, citing concerns over "sporting integrity." It drew widespread criticism, with many asking why Middlesbrough should be made to suffer as a result of their opponent's sanctions, and Chelsea subsequently withdrew their request following a conversation with the FA.
Chelsea beat Luton in the last-16 of the competition despite trailing twice on the same night Roman Abramovich confirmed he was looking to sell the club. A week later, the Russian billionaire was sanctioned by the government, who claimed he had links to Vladimir Putin, something Abramovich has always denied.
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A result of those sanctions left the club unable to sell any matchday tickets, and in a statement, on Tuesday they confirmed that they were requesting the FA Cup clash be moved behind closed doors.
"We are disappointed to announce we will not be able to sell tickets for Saturday’s FA Cup tie at Middlesbrough," Chelsea wrote on their official website. "
"It is important for the competition that the match against Middlesbrough goes ahead, however it is with extreme reluctance that we are asking the FA board to direct that the game be played behind closed doors for matters of sporting integrity.
"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."
The request was unsurprisingly shot down straight away by Boro, who described the statement as "bizarre", while their chairman Steve Gibson described Chelsea as "pathetic".
Now former Chelsea stars are speaking out against the request, with Le Saux taking to Twitter in the hours after the statement to dub the move as "embarrassing."
"I can’t think of a more embarrassing statement to come out of the club that I played for for 12yrs. Either ignorant or arrogant. I am confident it doesn’t represent the feelings of the coaching and playing staff," he said.
Shortly after Le Saux gave his verdict, the FA released a statement confirming that the request had been withdrawn, writing: "After constructive talks between The FA and Chelsea, the club has agreed to remove their request for the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final tie against Middlesbrough to be played behind closed doors.
"The FA remains in ongoing discussions with Chelsea, the Premier League and the Government to find a solution that would enable both Chelsea fans to attend games and away fans to attend Stamford Bridge, whilst ensuring sanctions are respected."
