Football (Soccer) Thread

[The Brain]

Why is Chelsea allowed to play? I can think of some reasons but I don't know which is the one.

[FunkMonk]

Chelsea want Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final against Middlesbrough to be played behind closed doors "for matters of sporting integrity".

More to follow.

https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/1503712020272664583?t=9bTYCBf6fUQHSFAvTRER-Q&s=19

Chelsea are embarrassing themselves.

Official govt reaction to Chelsea below. But behind the scenes, senior source tells me they're "exasperated"
at "tin-eared request" by Chelsea. Officials feel they are bending over backwards to allow club to play with a special license... https://t.co/u6SP1wlqyg

[Josquius]

Why is Chelsea allowed to play? I can think of some reasons but I don't know which is the one.

I have to suspect were they a less fashionable and more northern team they wouldn't be given the same leeway

[Sheilbh]

Huge fan of Middlesbrough's response:

A Statement From Middlesbrough FC...
Team Tue 15 Mar 2022, 1:50PM

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.

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.

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.

Sepaprately Tuchel's apparently confirmed that as Chelsea can't afford to fly they could face a 10 hour coach trip to get to Middlesbrough and back.

[celedhring]

Sepaprately Tuchel's apparently confirmed that as Chelsea can't afford to fly they could face a 10 hour coach trip to get to Middlesbrough and back.

Wow, wasn't aware things were so dire.

[Duque de Bragança]

Sepaprately Tuchel's apparently confirmed that as Chelsea can't afford to fly they could face a 10 hour coach trip to get to Middlesbrough and back.

Wow, wasn't aware things were so dire.

Greener travel does not mean things are so dire. 

[Sheilbh]

Wow, wasn't aware things were so dire.

Yeah - it's getting lots of microscopic violins on Twitter

The issue is basically they are only allowed to spend £20,000 per match on travel as part of their operating costs under their current special licence from the government.

The government statement does sound, as Funk put it, pretty exasperated:

We are working around the clock to enable Chelsea to continue operating as a club in the interests of the fans. This statement threatening Middlesbrough and the rest of the football league shows they do not seem to understand the seriousness of the situation they are in, being owned by an entity that has been sanctioned because of links to a person responsible for appalling acts in Ukraine. We are not opposed to Chelsea having fans at games in the long run, but we will not allow money from ticket sales to flow to a sanctioned entity. Chelsea should spend less time worrying about having a few thousands fans at one game, and focus on moving their club into the hands of someone who isn't linked to a warmonger.

It's another thing - with the Middlesbrough statement - of, I think, views around football (including from government) having changed quite severely by the Superleague debacle.

[The Larch]

I wonder if Chelsea's players can't arrange for their own travel. I'm sure that many of them can afford better ways to move around than by coach.

[Josquius]

Good show boro.

I must say I like the thought of Chelseas super stars travelling by national express and staying in the cheapest hotels.

[Sheilbh]

I know they mean the team coach but I automatically imagined a Megabus too.

And love the idea of them all, Partridge style, in a Travel Tavern.

[Barrister]

Final round of CONCACAF qualifiers starts up in a week and a half.

[FunkMonk]

I know they mean the team coach but I automatically imagined a Megabus too.

And love the idea of them all, Partridge style, in a Travel Tavern.

Chelsea should lean into this, if just on a public relations level. Have a social media team with the squad on a Megabus on Instagram Live 

[FunkMonk]

Also Spotify Camp Nou 

[The Larch]

Also Spotify Camp Nou 

They need all the money they can get. 

[Valmy]

Final round of CONCACAF qualifiers starts up in a week and a half.

Mexico, Panama, and Costa Rica? We got this. Just glad we are not playing that soccer juggernaut that is Canada again.