Chelsea can now expect to have full support at their FA Cup semi-final against
Crystal Palace.
Roman Abramovich’s UK Government sanctions currently bar the club from selling any new tickets, but the Football Association has announced it is in talks with the government over amendments to the club’s operating licence to allow tickets to be sold for next month’s Wembley showdown.
“We hope to have sell-out crowds at both of our Emirates FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley Stadium,” an FA spokesperson said.
“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 whilst respecting the sanctions that are currently in place on Chelsea.”
Earlier, Julian Knight, the chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee, had called for changes to the special licence imposed upon the club.
Chelsea fans were unable to buy any tickets for the FA Cup quarter-final win at Middlesbrough beyond those purchased prior to the imposition of sanctions, but Knight insists a solution must be in place ahead of the semi-final against Palace.
“It is ridiculous that we face the prospect of a half-full Wembley for the Chelsea vs Palace FA Cup semi-final,” Knight said before the FA released its statement.
“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.”
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Last Tuesday, Chelsea initially requested the match against Boro be played behind closed doors “for matters of sporting integrity” because of the inability to sell further tickets to travelling fans, but withdrew the request later the same day.
The club are currently unable to sell any new tickets in home sections of Stamford Bridge beyond those already sold, or sell tickets to visiting fans.
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Unless the licence is changed, it means their Champions League quarter-final first leg at home to Real Madrid would be played behind closed doors.
Discussions between the government, the Premier League and the Football Association on ticketing are ongoing.
‘Everyone wants Chelsea fans to be able to buy tickets’
Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:
“Behind the scenes, there is a lot of work being done to make sure they will be able to buy tickets as soon as possible.
“The FA want them to be able to buy tickets, Chelsea as a club want their fans to watch them when they’re playing.
“The Premier League and government are trying to sort something out.
“We spoke last Wednesday about one proposal to bring in a third party to distribute the sale of tickets, that’s something the government are looking at. That’s a possibility.
“As far as Chelsea fans are concerned, I think the good news is everybody wants them to be able to buy tickets as soon as possible.”
The latest with the sale of Chelsea: Centricus and Candy in the running
A British-funded bid involving Chelsea season-ticket holders has revealed it is trying to buy the club.
London-based asset management firm Centricus have joined forces with hedge fund manager Jonathan Lourie of Cheyne Capital and Talis Capital’s Bob Finch to submit a bid.
Lourie, Finch and Centricus’ co-founder Nizar Al-Bassam and CEO Garth Ritchie are all season-ticket holders at Stamford Bridge. The group are hoping for a quick resolution to the situation to help Chelsea.
Al-Bassam told The Times: “There’ s a clock ticking because the club is bleeding money at a faster rate than it should while there’s uncertainty there.”
Meanwhile, Nick Candy‘s Chelsea bid consortium has doubled down on fan involvement in the future of the club.
Candy launched a bid of over £2bn on Friday to buy Chelsea Football Club through his Blue Football Consortium, which includes two major South Korean investors Hana Financial Group and C&P Sports Group, as well as other high-net-worth backers in the UK, Europe and USA. He has now increased that bid following the addition of another large international backer.
At the centre of Mr Candy’s bid is a commitment to a new era of fan involvement and ownership in Premier League clubs, guided by the best practice recommendations as set out in the independent Fan-Led Review into Football Governance by Tracey Crouch MP.
Roman Abramovich put the London club up for sale on March 2, amid Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian-Israeli billionaire was then sanctioned by the UK Government on March 10, with Downing Street claiming to have proven the 55-year-old’s direct links to Vladimir Putin.
American-backed bids from Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and Chicago Cubs owners the Ricketts family are among the front-runners to take over.
Sir Martin Broughton and Lord Sebastian Coe have also offered a bid.
FA hopeful of allowing Chelsea fans to attend Wembley semi-final
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