Chelsea have withdrawn their request for their FA Cup quarter-final clash against Middlesbrough to be played behind closed doors.
The West London club have been placed under a special licence which permits them to operate but unable to generate new revenue due to sanctions placed on owner Roman Abramovich by the UK government. Thomas Tuchel's side are scheduled to make the trip to the Riverside on Saturday in their last eight clash.
However, the Blues remain unable to sell tickets for their fans due to the sanctions – with only season tickets and tickets bought before sanctions were placed on Abramovich allowed for their club’s matches. That led to their request on Tuesday morning for the game to be played behind closed doors – which has now been withdrawn.
