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Chelsea’s recent transformation on the pitch looks under threat with an upcoming fixture pile up that looks more intimidating than the current congestion at your local petrol station. The recent heroics in Portugal have installed the Blues as firm favourites to overcome Benfica and book their place in the last four of the Champions League. However, should they achieve this they will be forced to play either Barcelona or AC Milan just three days after an FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur.
Roberto Di Matteo had pleaded with the FA to move their match with Spurs to the Friday night to allow his team ample opportunity to recover for what would be their biggest game of the season. Unfortunately, the FA has insisted that the fixture will not be rearranged under any circumstances sparking an angry retort from the Chelsea interim manager.
“We have tried to communicate with the FA and co-operate, so it’s disappointing, I would say, that common sense hasn’t prevailed,’ he said.
‘I probably would have been happy with a Friday night kick-off. We have tried to co-operate with the authorities and given our point of view but it seems it hasn’t been taken into consideration.’
Under normal circumstances the two semi-finals would simply have been swapped over to allow Chelsea to play on the Saturday. However, Sunday April 15 marks the 23rd anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster with Liverpool understandably refusing to play on that day.
The general consensus amongst supporters appears to be that the FA would not allow the game to take place on Friday night because of policing and safety concerns. Would they still harbour the same view if Chelsea and Tottenham didn’t share a local rivalry? It’s fair to say that neither club would consider each other their ‘fiercest’ adversaries but it would appear that the FA will take every precaution to avoid any disturbances in what will prove to be a feisty affair on the pitch.
To make matters worse for Chelsea, ITV have announced that the tie will take place at 6pm in order to fit snuggly within a prime time viewing slot. The late kick off will also ensure that it doesn’t clash with Manchester United’s Premier League match against Aston Villa, which is being screened on Sky at 4pm. Is this another example of TV companies exerting their detrimental influence on modern football or are they perfectly within their right to make such changes, considering the vast amounts of money that pay in broadcasting rights?
Perhaps there wouldn’t be such a backlash against the FA if other governing bodies around the world employed the same resilient stance against their respective clubs. In the previous round of the Champions League both Benfica and Napoli were given compensation to play their league games on the Friday to allow for extra days rest ahead of their midweek ties. This is however nothing compared to the extreme lengths the French football association have gone to, moving Marseille’s game against Montpellier back an entire week to help them recuperate properly between the clashes with German giants Bayern Munich. Outrageous I hear you cry, but it’s worth pointing out that their UEFA coefficient, which is currently below Portugal, will mean they will likely lose a Champions League place if Marseille do not progress beyond the quarter-final stages.
Perhaps it’s amicable that the FA are setting a good example concerning favouritism amongst clubs in Europe but with English clubs suffering a disappointing season in the Champions League, surely the FA should be doing everything in their power to help our last remaining representative in the competition.
Does the FA deserve their current barrage of criticism?
Leave your comments below or on Twitter @theunusedsub
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