Thomas Tuchel has criticised the response of Boris Johnson's spokesperson in the aftermath of fans singing the name of Roman Abramovich at Stamford Bridge. The Prime Minister's spokesman had described Chelsea supporters' chants of 'Roman Abramovich' as 'completely inappropriate' on Monday following the Russian being placed on the UK's sanction list.
The song has remained at matches since the Blues have had restrictions placed upon them as the 55-year-old oligarch's assets were frozen. Abramovich's name was sung ahead of the game against Norwich and during the 90 minutes at Carrow Road.
While the chant's presence appeared diminished at Stamford Bridge against Newcastle United, it did emerge on the 65th minute, but it was not long before it was drowned out. The government spokesman made the Prime Minister's stance on any such activity clear.
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He said: "We recognise the strength of feeling around people’s clubs but that does not excuse behaviour which is completely inappropriate at this time. I think people can show passion and support for their club without resorting to that sort of stuff."
However, in his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea's clash with Lille, Tuchel was unsure if supporters' chanting should be the subject of government discussion.
He said: "I don't know if it's the most important subject to be discussed in parliament. If fan chants need to be discussed in parliament, maybe we need to worry about the priority of discussions there.
"Listen, no need to comment from me. There are far more urgent things to discuss and handle. We have restrictions and we have to deal with it. There are adjustments in how many staff are travelling and staying.
"We have a framework to go to Lille and play in Lille. There will be no excuses. It is already more difficult to arrange things in the best way possible for the FA Cup, but we will deal with it.
"As long as we have shirts, as long as we are alive, we will arrive and fight hard for our success. We owe it to the people who normally support us in an invisible way."
While Tuchel wouldn't be drawn too deep into a discussion, the German coach has previously criticised supporters when they interrupted a show of solidarity with Ukraine ahead of kick-off against Burnley. The decision was roundly disparaged by commentators, and Tuchel was no different in that regard.
"It's not the moment to do this," he said at Turf Moor. "Listen, if we show solidarity we show solidarity and we should do it together. We take the knee together and if an important person from our club or another club unfortunately dies, we show a minute of respect.
"It's not the moment to give other messages. It's the moment to show respect. We do this because this is what we are also as a club. We show respect as a club and we need our fans to commit to this minute of applause. At this moment, we do it for Ukraine and there is no second opinion about the situation there. They have our thoughts and our support. We should stand together as a club. It's not the moment for other messages."
