Chelsea fans have expressed relief after the club performed a U-turn on their attempts to have their FA Cup clash with Middlesbrough played behind closed doors.
Following sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich, Chelsea are unable to sell matchday tickets, including for away games such as the quarter-final. On Tuesday they released a statement confirming the request for the Riverside clash to be played without fans.
The Blues cited concerns over "sporting integrity" claiming their Championship opponents could gain an unfair advantage if the 4,000 Chelsea fans previously expected to make the trip were not allowed in. However, they were met by a firm backlash from Boro, their chairman Steve Gibson, as well as their own fans.
