Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel admits they were wrong to attempt to have their FA Cup tie at Middlesbrough played without fans.
On Tuesday, the Blues asked the FA for the fixture to go ahead without fans ‘for matters of sporting integrity’ after they were not allowed to sell any more away tickets for the match due to the sanctions placed on owner Roman Abramovich.
However, they withdrew their appeal just hours later following talks with the governing body and amid backlash from Boro.
Tuchel was asked about the request after Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Lille on Wednesday night and sought to distance himself from the saga.
“Let me put it like this,” he said. “We love to play in front of spectators and I don’t think our opponents should suffer from the consequences.”
“It was not the very best idea. Me and the team were not involved in this decision.”
