The
government has been urged to allow Chelsea fans access to FA Cup semi-final
tickets, provided any proceeds go to the people of Ukraine.
Julian Knight, the chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee,
has called for changes to the special licence imposed upon the club after
their owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the British Government.
The intention of the licence is to deny the club - and by extension
Abramovich, who the government says has ties to Russian president Vladimir
Putin - the ability to generate new revenue, including from ticket sales.
Chelsea fans were unable to buy any tickets for the FA Cup quarter-final win
at Middlesbrough beyond those purchased prior to the imposition of
sanctions, but Knight insists a solution must be in place ahead of the
semi-final against Crystal Palace at Wembley next month.
"It is ridiculous that we face the prospect of a half-full Wembley for the
Chelsea vs Palace FA Cup semi-final," Knight said.
"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."
Last Tuesday, Chelsea initially requested the match against Boro be played
behind closed doors "for matters of sporting integrity" because of the
inability to sell further tickets to travelling fans, but withdrew the
request later the same day.
The club are currently unable to sell any new tickets in home sections of
Stamford Bridge beyond those already sold, or sell tickets to visiting fans.
Unless the licence is changed, it means their Champions League quarter-final
first leg at home to Real Madrid would be played behind closed doors.
Discussions between the government, the Premier League and the Football
Association on ticketing are ongoing.
The latest with the sale of Chelsea:
Centrius and Candy in the running
A British-funded bid involving Chelsea season ticket holders has revealed it
is trying to buy the club.
London-based asset management firm Centricus have joined forces with hedge
fund manager Jonathan Lourie of Cheyne Capital and Talis Capital's Bob Finch
to submit a bid.
Lourie, Finch and Centricus' co-founder Nizar Al-Bassam and CEO Garth
Ritchie are all season tickets holders at Stamford Bridge. The group's
hoping for a quick resolution to the situation to help Chelsea.
Al-Bassam told The Times: "There' s a clock ticking because the club is
bleeding money at a faster rate than it should while there's uncertainty
there."
Meanwhile, Nick Candy's Chelsea bid consortium has doubled down on fan
involvement in future of the club.
Candy launched a bid of over £2bn on Friday to buy Chelsea Football Club
through his Blue Football Consortium, which includes two major South Korean
investors Hana Financial Group and C&P Sports Group, as well as other
high-net-worth backers in the UK, Europe and USA.
At the centre of Mr Candy's bid is a commitment to a new era of fan
involvement and ownership in Premier League clubs, guided by the best
practice recommendations as set out in the independent fan-led review into
football governance by Tracey Crouch MP.
Roman Abramovich put the London club up for sale on March 2, amid Russia's
continued invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian-Israeli billionaire was then sanctioned by the UK Government on
March 10, with Downing Street claiming to have proven the 55-year-old's
direct links to Vladimir Putin.
American-backed bids from Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and
Chicago Cubs owners the Ricketts family are among the front-runners to take
over.
Sir Martin Broughton and Lord Sebastian Coe have also offered a bid.
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