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Thomas Tuchel has distanced himself from Chelsea‘s aborted request to have Saturday’s FA Cup quarterfinal at Middlesbrough played behind closed doors by insisting “it was not the very best idea.”
The Blues initially asked the Football Association to play at the Riverside Stadium without supporters after being denied the chance to sell tickets to away supporters due to failing to amend the terms of the special government licence they are operating under following owner Roman Abramovich’s sanctioning.
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Sources have told ESPN that Chelsea had sold around 600 tickets for the game prior to last Thursday’s government intervention, but after a fierce backlash led by the Championship club — which called it “bizarre and without any merit whatsoever” — the club backed down.
And speaking after Wednesday’s Champions League round of 16, second-leg win at Lille, Tuchel said: “That was our responsibility, not mine or from the team. Let me put it like this: we love to play in front of spectators and I don’t think spectators from our opponents should suffer from the consequences.
“I think the proposal was withdrawn and it was absolutely the right thing to do because that was from our side and hopefully it was not meant like this. It was not the very best idea, to put it like this. We love to play in front of spectators.
“Me, actually, and the team, were not involved in this decision and I am happy it was withdrawn, very happy.”