, Middlesbrough boss speaks out on Chelsea’s behind closed doors FA Cup request

Middlesbrough boss speaks out on Chelsea’s behind closed doors FA Cup request

Middlesbrough manager Chris Wilder has had his say on Chelsea’s recent request to have their FA quarter-final clash played behind closed doors.

Middlesbrough have knocked out both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in their FA Cup run so far and now face champions of Europe Chelsea in the quarter-final this weekend.

The televised clash is to be played on Saturday evening at 5.15pm and is in front of a sold-out home crowd.

However, Chelsea won’t be fulfilling their allocation, after sanctions brought upon the club mean they cannot sell their remaining tickets.

, Middlesbrough boss speaks out on Chelsea’s behind closed doors FA Cup request

The Blues sold between 500 and 600 tickets on the first day they were placed on sale, but the sales have since been halted due to the said sanctions. The remaining allocation for Chelsea has now been offered to Boro fans.

With this in mind, Chelsea requested for the game to be played behind closed doors, something which was ultimately turned down by the FA, with Chelsea then retracting this request.

Middlesbrough released a statement, whilst chairman Steve Gibson also spoke to The Telegraph about the request.

Now manager Chris Wilder has had his say about the situation in an interview with The Northern Echo.

“I think like everybody in football made of it. It was just head scratching and I was flabbergasted with everything that’s gone off today,” said the Boro boss.

“When a decision is made and there is a universal ‘what is all that about?’ attitude to it from everybody, including Chelsea, whether it’s Thomas [Tuchel], the coaching staff, their players, supporters. Their trust came out and said ‘what is all this about?’

, Middlesbrough boss speaks out on Chelsea’s behind closed doors FA Cup request

“I thought our response as a club was class and our Chairman said what he felt from the heart. That was backed up universally by everybody knows the game and loves the game,” he continued.

“I’ve got to say, I was thinking that I wasn’t going to turn up. If our supporters weren’t going to turn up then I don’t think I’d have turned up. Nobody wants that.”

Middlesbrough triumphed over Birmingham on Tuesday night, winning 2-0 thanks to goals from Aaron Connolly and Folarin Balogun. But their attention will undoubtedly turn to Saturday’s game with Chelsea now.

Tuchel’s side take on Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, and are 2-0 up from the first leg.

Previous Article
, ‘He’s performed very, very well’ – Heckingbottom full of praise for Sheffield United man who’s split opinion this season

'He's performed very, very well' - Heckingbottom full of praise for Sheffield United man who's split opinion this season

Next Article
, How’s Toni Leistner faring since his QPR exit?

How's Toni Leistner faring since his QPR exit?

Related Posts