THOMAS TUCHEL has confirmed that Chelsea will be able to fly to the North East for their FA Cup clash with Middlesbrough this weekend.
As part of their special license to keep operating awarded by the government after Roman Abramovich was sanctioned, the Blues were limited to just £20,000-per-game in travel expenses.
This limit would have seen Chelsea stars have to undergo a ten-hour coach journey to Middlesbrough for tomorrow’s match.
The Blues have worked diligently behind the scenes to try and have their license tweaked to allow for greater flexibility with travel.
And boss Tuchel has revealed that their efforts have been successful.
The German, 48, said: “Everybody worked hard to make it happen and it has gone through.
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“So it’s organised that we can travel by plane, which is very, very good because as you know, we had the last match with only two days in between to rest, and it’s very important to minimise the time of travel and maximise the time for recovery to reduce the risk of injury.
“So yeah, we’re very happy. Everything is organised as usual and we can prepare in a normal way.”
Despite this small victory, the Blues remain unable to sell tickets or merchandise under the current sanctions.
They will be backed by just 600 fans at the Riverside, with only those holding an away season ticket or a hospitality season ticket purchased prior to the government sanctions able to go.
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Chelsea tried to have tomorrow’s match played behind closed doors, citing ‘sporting integrity’ as a key reason.
But their request was swiftly retracted following a furious backlash.
Tuchel added: “There are sanctions for a certain reason and we also have to respect this.
“So I don’t think it makes much sense if I shout out that we have to protect integrity of the competition and make a huge point out of it.
“We also have sanctions that we have to follow, like it or not, and now I have trust in the board, who are in dialogue with Uefa and the Government here, to find maybe an exemption and logic exemptions to find solutions [so] that the spectators can be in the stadium.
But we all have to respect that we are in this situation and adapt to whatever comes
Thomas Tuchel
“Of course we can see a point that it should not be put on the spectators not to attend matches like this, but it needs to be in the regularities and I’m absolutely sure and aware that the board is trying hard to find solutions for the situation.
“But we all have to respect that we are in this situation and adapt to whatever comes.”
Bidders for the club have until 9pm today to lodge their offers to the Raine Group who are overseeing the sale.
A number of candidates have emerged, including Todd Boehly, Nick Candy and the Saudi Media Group, among others.