Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport chair Julian Knight MP has labelled the prospect of Chelsea supporters not being allowed at Wembley for their FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace 'ridiculous'.
The Blues only had in the region of 600 fans make the trip to the Riverside for the win over Middlesbrough following sanctions placed on Roman Abramovich. Chelsea continue to operate under a government licence which restricts their activity.
Thomas Tuchel's side are unable to make transfers, offer contracts or sell merchandise under the conditions of the 'Russian Regulation' licence but can apply for changes to the licence. Only supporters who had tickets before the sanctions came into play, including season ticket holders, are able to attend matches at the moment.
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Chelsea were in conversations with Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) ahead of the fixture against Middlesbrough, but could not come to an agreement that allowed them to provide more tickets to supporters in time. A debacle ensued as the Blues then requested the game be played behind closed doors, before rowing back on that decision following the fallout.
Knight does not want the situation to continue for Chelsea supporters, providing Abramovich cannot profit from ticket sales. He said: "It is ridiculous that we face the prospect of a half-full Wembley for the Chelsea vs Palace FA Cup semi-final.
“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.”
Reports suggest that a proposal has been put forward to OFSI for an independent agency to handle the club's ticket sales ahead of the FA Cup semi-final and Chelsea's Champions League quarter-final.
Of course, any takeover should see sanctions lifted as the club leaves Abramovich's hands. Several groups submitted bids to Raine Group, who are facilitating the sale on behalf of Chelsea, with a number of the weaker propositions expected to receive an early notice of rejection on Monday.
The consortium led by LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly have suggested they could complete a takeover in times for Chelsea' match against Brentford on April 2nd. Chelsea's match against Real Madrid in the Champions League follows four days after the game with the Bees.
