The FA have announced that Chelsea's request for their FA Cup clash with Middlesbrough to be played behind closed doors will be discussed on Wednesday. The Blues confirmed that they intend to lodge an appeal with the relevant governing bodies due to ongoing sanctions dealt to owner Roman Abramovich following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
An official statement read: "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. Executives at Middlesbrough had been kind enough to extend their deadline for ticket sales and stadium allocation from 7.30pm last night until 9.30am this morning.
"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.
