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Chelsea in danger of shooting themselves in the foot

I have expressed some sympathy for Chelsea in previous posts, or at least for the fans.  I suppose the fans of other clubs feel entitled to some schadenfreude but I don't like the idea of a club with a long history disappearing or being forced to become a non-league club, the potential fate referred to by government sources.

However, the club are in danger of eroding what sympathy there is for them by making unacceptable demands such as suggesting that their FA cup match with Middlesbrough should be played behind closed doors, a request withdrawn after the damage had been done.

It is evident that their stance is annoying government ministers who admittedly have their own agenda in terms of making a high profile example of Roman Abramovich.

Ministers are reported to be increasingly irritated by Chelsea's complaints about the licence conditions imposed on them, warning that the club was on 'borrowed time' and would have collapsed altogether without the special licence.  One senior government source said that after years of benefitting from Abramovich's ownership, the club was now paying the price.

The government has said that it will not back down on its refusal to allow the club to sell more tickets, but will consider some changes to the licence if they qualify for the FA Cup semi-finals and the Champions League quarter finals.

A further challenge is that the EU have now imposed sanctions against Abramovich.  While the Champions League match against Lille will go ahead, it is unclear how future matches will be affected.

There is a certain amount of hypocrisy in current criticisms of some foreign owners with football asked to adhere to moral standards than the Government.   As far as Newcastle United and Saudi Arabia are concerned, it should be remembered that we sell arms to that country, allegedly used in the conflict in Yemen.  It is also all right for the prime minister to go there and ask for the oil taps to be turned on.

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  1. Unknown16 March 2022 at 04:33

    Who ever takes over from chelsea has to be fully checked as we don't want the same mess that we are in now to show its ugly head again 12 months down the line as people are questioning other owners of other clubs

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