Premier League club Chelsea have requested that their FA Cup quarter-final against Middlesbrough at Riverside Stadium is played behind closed doors amid their ongoing ban over selling matchday tickets.
Chelsea's ticket sales were halted on March 10 after the UK government sanctioned the club's owner Roman Abramovich over his links with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Despite engaging in extensive discussions with the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), the deadline to purchase away tickets has passed without appropriate amendments being made to the Government licence which would allow a full allocation of Chelsea supporters to attend.
"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 in a statement said.
"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. We will continue to discuss the issue of ticket sales with OFSI as there are a number of fixtures still to be played this season and we hope to reach a resolution," PL club added.
The Blues are currently only allowed to continue operating through a special licence granted by the UK government, which permits existing ticket holders to attend matches, but new sales - including home and away match day tickets - have not been allowed.
( With inputs from ANI )
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