Former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer has slammed Chelsea's "incredible" decision to try and get this Middlesbrough FA quarter-final played behind closed doors for 'sporting integrity' reasons.
The Blues have faced a logistical nightmare ahead of the clash at the Riverside Stadium, with sanctions meaning that no new tickets could be sold. As a result, around 500-600 travelling supporters have made the trek up to Teeside but these are fans that had already purchased their tickets before Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK Government.
With the process of a takeover already in progress, the club initially moved to request the game be played behind closed doors for 'sporting integrity' reasons. Words that received a big backlash from the wider footballing community, as Middlesbrough and their chairman unleashed a tirade on Bruce Buck and the higher ups in west London.
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"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," the club wrote on their official website before Gibson delivered his own view. "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." Gibson then added personally in an interview with The Times: "I can't believe it. I can't believe this excuse of a man, [Chelsea chairman] Bruce Buck. To try this is just unbelievable. Sporting integrity and Chelsea do not belong in the same sentence. For 19 years Abramovich’s money has fuelled Chelsea’s success.
"If they were to beat us in the FA Cup, with no fans there, what would that do to the integrity of the competition? Are they going to play all their Premier League games behind closed doors too? This is pathetic by Chelsea." He then added in a separate interview with The Athletic: "Where is the intellect of Bruce Buck, the chairman of Chelsea, who has been an apologist for his owner, where the trophies won over 19 years have come from the corrupt money provided by Abramovich? Where is the intellect of the chairman of Chelsea when it comes to playing his games at home in front of his season ticket holders? Does he want to play all his away games at empty stadiums?"
Chelsea eventually dropped their request, but the damage had been done. Despite this U-turn which allowed Boro to sanction 3,200 extra tickets for their fans, Shearer says he simply could not believe what he was witnessing in the build-up to the game.
"I cannot believe that people in power were sat in a room and for some reason, thought it was a good idea to put that statement out. It was just incredible. Fortunately, five or six hours after that they reversed their decision," he said on the BBC's coverage. "I have to say, Steve Gibson handled it very well and the proceeds of today’s game going to the humanitarian charity is brilliant."
