FA in talks with government over Chelsea fans attending FA Cup semi-final

The FA have issued a statement

The FA are hoping for Chelsea fans to be in attendance at their FA Cup semi-final despite sanctions imposed on club owner Roman Abramovich, which have banned the from selling tickets. As part of a special licence agreed with the UK government, Chelsea's footballing operations have been allowed to continue, in the sense that they can train, travel (within spending restrictions) and play matches. But their commercial interests are being limited due to the sanctions against Abramovich due to his ties to Vladimir Putin. This saw the club close its club shop and unable to sell any more tickets for upcoming games, which means only season ticket holders and those with existing tickets sold before sanctions came in can attend matches. However, the FA are looking to find a creative solution to this, and are in talks with the government about a way of enabling Chelsea fans to go to their FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace at Wembley.

An FA Spokesperson said: "We hope to have sell-out crowds at both of our Emirates FA Cup Semi Finals at Wembley Stadium. This includes tickets for Chelsea supporters for their match against Crystal Palace, and we are working with the Government on a method to achieve this whilst respecting the sanctions that are currently in place on Chelsea."

Earlier today, Julian Knight MP, who acts as chair of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport backed plans to enable Chelsea fans to attend. "It’s ridiculous that we face the prospect of a half full Wembley for the Chelsea vs Palace FA Cup semi-final. The FA must be allowed to sell tickets to Chelsea fans with all money going to the people of Ukraine," he tweeted.