Online Reporter
LONDON. – Chelsea face having to give up home advantage for their Champions League last 16 tie – because of a little-known UEFA rule.
Liam Rosenior enjoyed the best win of his reign so far with the 3-2 triumph over former Blues boss Antonio Conte’s Napoli.
The comeback triumph meant Chelsea finished in sixth place in the Champions League table, automatically qualifying for the last 16.
Under the revised competition rules, that would mean Chelsea playing the second leg of their next tie – likely to be against Newcastle or reigning champions PSG – at Stamford Bridge.
But Uefa regulations only allow for one game to be played in any city on a particular night.
With Arsenal and Spurs having finished first and fourth in the table, and only the Tuesday and Wednesday nights on March 17 and 18 being available, the North London sides take priority.
And it means Chelsea will have to get backing from the Metropolitan Police and other London authorities to persuade UEFA to rip up its own rulebook to be able to play the crunch game in SW6.
While Chelsea and Spurs regularly play home games in the Premier League on the same day, UEFA’s “general principle” for club competitions states that sides cannot play “in the same stadium, the same city or in cities within a radius of 50km (30 miles)”.
In the knockout stage, the regulations state that if there is a clash, which must be the case in March: “The national association and clubs are required in advance to identify and announce an alternative stadium where a match can be played in the given match week.
“In such a case, the team with the lower ranking in the league phase must play in the alternative venue.” – The Sun
Mathew Masinge