Middlesbrough and Steve Gibson have offered out '3,200' extra tickets to Boro supporters after Chelsea failed in their 'pathetic' attempts to get the get the game played behind closed doors.
The North East club were involved in a furious exchange with the Blues on Tuesday as the government's inability to make changes to the special 'license' that Chelsea are operating under meant that no extra away tickets were sold. This prompted the hierarchy in west London to propose the game be played behind closed doors for 'sporting integrity' reasons, a request that received a frosty response from Chairman Steve Gibson.
"We are aware of Chelsea's request to have Saturday's Emirates FA Cup sixth round tie played behind closed doors and find their suggestion both bizarre and without any merit whatsoever," the club wrote on their official website before Gibson delivered his own view. "All concerned are well aware of the reasons Chelsea have been sanctioned and that this has nothing to do with Middlesbrough Football Club. To suggest as result that MFC and our fans should be penalised is not only grossly unfair but without any foundation.
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"Given the reasons for these sanctions, for Chelsea to seek to invoke sporting "integrity" as reason for the game being played behind closed doors is ironic in the extreme. We currently await formal notification from the FA of the next steps but rest assured MFC will resist Chelsea's actions in the strongest terms."
Gibson then added personally in an interview with The Times: "I can't believe it. I can't believe this excuse of a man, [Chelsea chairman] Bruce Buck. To try this is just unbelievable. Sporting integrity and Chelsea do not belong in the same sentence. For 19 years Abramovich’s money has fuelled Chelsea’s success.
"If they were to beat us in the FA Cup, with no fans there, what would that do to the integrity of the competition? Are they going to play all their Premier League games behind closed doors too? This is pathetic by Chelsea."
He then added in a separate interview with The Athletic: "Where is the intellect of Bruce Buck, the chairman of Chelsea, who has been an apologist for his owner, where the trophies won over 19 years have come from the corrupt money provided by Abramovich? Where is the intellect of the chairman of Chelsea when it comes to playing his games at home in front of his season ticket holders? Does he want to play all his away games at empty stadiums?"
Chelsea and Buck reluctantly withdrew their request in a turn of events that was labelled an 'embarrassing U-turn.' The current European and World Champions' pain isn't done there though with the home side now giving away extra tickets as a result of the government sanctions that have meant that only 600 away fans will be making the long trek from London to Teeside.
Middlesbrough announced this news in their most recent club statement in this ever developing situation. It read: "We have an additional 3,200 tickets available to Boro fans for Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup quarter-final tie against Chelsea at the Riverside (5.15pm).
"These tickets have been returned to the club by Chelsea due to government sanctions. These tickets will be available to purchase for Boro fans with 11+ Priority Points from Wednesday 16 March at 10.30am."
On the pitch, Chris Wilder's side come into their FA Cup quarter-final confident of adding Chelsea to the list of Tottenham and Man United executions this term after Boro picked up three points on the road in the Championship on Tuesday night with their 2-0 victory against Birmingham City. Now, it's over to the west Londoners who look to progress further in the Champions League as they look to complete the job in the Round of 16 against Lille on Wednesday night.
