The request to play the FA Cup quarter-finals behind closed doors was slammed by Middlesbrough.

The sale of tickets to the club was halted last Thursday in the wake of the UK government's sanctions against Roman Abramovich.

Existing ticket holders are allowed to attend matches, but new ticket sales are not allowed because of a special licence granted by the government.

A behind-closed-doors game would be the fairest way of proceeding in the current circumstances after 650 tickets were sold out of their initial away allocation.

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Neville: Chelsea situation a 'wake-up call'

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Gary Neville says the situation at Chelsea is a 'wake-up call' for football, and expects an independent regulator to come in to oversee the sale of clubs in the future.

The FA has confirmed that the game will be played in front of an empty stadium, a move that has been called "bizarre" and "without any merit" by Middlesbrough.

All concerned are aware of the reasons for the sanction of the club and that it has nothing to do with the club.

To suggest that our fans should be punished is grossly unfair.

Given the reasons for the sanctions, it is ironic that the game is being played behind closed doors.

We currently await formal notification from the FA of the next steps, but rest assured that Middlesbrough will resist the actions of Chelsea in the strongest terms.

The club should withdraw its request because playing behind closed doors doesn't benefit any supporters. The group renewed its request for the Government to relax its licence and allow the Blues to sell match tickets again.

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation has been in talks with the club about ticket sales for the game, but they have not been able to find a solution to the issue.

It is important for the competition that the match against Middlesbrough goes ahead, however it is with extreme reluctance that we are asking the FA board to direct that the game be played behind closed doors for matters of sporting integrity.

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Property developer and prospective Chelsea owner Nick Candy says he loves the club and doesn't mind who takes over as long as it is in safe hands.

The outcome would have a huge impact on the club and its supporters, as well as our own fans who have already bought a limited number of tickets that were sold before the licence was imposed, but we believe this is the fairest way of proceeding in the current circumstances.

The team that beat Manchester United and Spurs have been contacted.

Sports Minister suggests ticket sales could resume

The government may amend its licence to allow the sale of tickets if Roman Abramovich does not profit from the move, according to the minister.

The measures we have taken and the licence we have given to Chelsea is to stop them going out of business. We want the sanctions to hit those we intend to hit and not others, so we are talking to the fans and the club to see if we can allow more ticket sales.

We are looking at options. There will be consequences of sanctions. The invasion of a nation where people are dying is the reason why Roman Abramovich has links to Vladimir Putin.

We want to make sure the sanctions hit those we intend to hit and there is minimal impact elsewhere. As a result, there will be a lot of hassle. We would change the licence to allow the sale of the club and that would be important for the club.

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Chelsea vs Newcastle highlights
FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Chelsea's win over Newcastle in the Premier League.

Analysis: Chelsea move all about putting pressure on government

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Chelsea's ground Stamford Bridge ahead of the match with Newcastle

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Kaveh Solhekol explains why Chelsea are asking for their FA Cup tie against Middlesbrough to be played behind closed doors with sanctions placed upon their owner, Roman Abramovich.

The government's restrictions to sell tickets are unfair and need to be relaxed. They were willing to give away 4,000 tickets for free to their fans, but have not heard back from the government.

I don't think the FA will allow the game to be played behind closed doors. They understand that a lot of the fans at the game have bought tickets.

I think this is about applying pressure on the government to let us sell tickets because we can't carry on like this.

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Chelsea fans held a banner for Roman Abramovich at Stamford Bridge on Sunday

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Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston says the Government are working with Chelsea to ensure the sanctions impact Roman Abramovich and not the club and its fans.

There is an issue with the amount of money that can be spent on away travel. If that is in place on Saturday, they won't be able to get to the game in the way they normally do. They could all get on a coach, drive there and back, but normally it would cost a club the amount of money that it would take to travel to the other side of the country.

Tuchel: Increasing travel budget not about 'bling-bling'

The Blues are looking to increase the amount of money they spend on travel by the government.

European away matches add an extra premium to the average spend per away match.

Ahead of the second leg of the last-16 in Lille, Tuchel admitted that they had to cut their cloth.

The boss insisted that the demands of the Blues are not about luxury, but about elite athletes avoiding soft-tissue injuries.

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Roman Abramovich during the UEFA Women's Champions League final between Chelsea and Barcelona

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Roman Abramovich is set to face new sanctions from the European Union as it looks likely he will be added to a list of Russian billionaires sanctioned following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

It isn't about luxury and bling-bling, according to Tuchel.

It is better to arrive with a plane than a bus.

We have a framework to go and play in Lille with no excuses.

It is more difficult to arrange things on a professional level for the FA Cup because of these organizations.

We will deal with it. We will be competitive and fight hard for our success if we have shirts and are a team.

We owe it to the people who support us. We are in the spotlight and we have a responsibility to do so. We will do it.