Chelsea are currently in the Czech Republic to take on Slavia Prague in the quarter-finals of the Europa League and the first leg will be played at the Sinobo Stadium.
And this all-important game for the home side will be played not inside a full stadium.
This after UEFA hit Slavia Prague with a partial stadium closure after a series of incidents in their round-of-32 tie against Genk on February 14.
A series of incidents like setting off fireworks, crowd disturbances and blocked stairways had occurred during the game after which UEFA chose to deal with the matter in a stringent manner.
As per a report by Goal towards the end of March, ‘UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) has ordered the closure of a number of sections in the Sinobo Stadium for the first leg against Maurizio Sarri’s side on April 11, while fining the club €32,000.
Genk were fined €20,000 after their supporters also set off fireworks and threw objects.’
And here’s what the Chelsea manager had to say about the partial stadium closure during the Slavia Prague game.
“I don’t know. I don’t know the reason,” Sarri said during a pre-match press conference.
“I think it’s not important, the match is on the pitch. We need to be careful, this is a very dangerous match for us.
“They are very dangerous and have scored six in two matches against Sevilla, they are dangerous.
“Fast team, we need to be very compact and to defend really well. On crosse,s they can attack with five or six players. It’s not easy for us.”
While Chelsea should be happy that they will not face the full brunt of the home ground and can, in turn, concentrate on the match but it will surely be a huge setback for the Slavia Prague fans since a club like Chelsea do not visit the city too often.
But then, they only have themselves to blame.
