Bates backs ticket policy

Ken Bates defends Chelsea ticketing policy

Chelsea chairman Ken Bates has defended the club's FA Cup ticketing policy for their FA Cup semi-final against Fulham at Villa Park on 14 April.

Some Chelsea supporters in Saturday's home game against Sunderland made their feelings known over the club's 19,000 FA Cup semi-final ticket allocation,

Fulham get one per fan, and we get one every two fans!

Chelsea chairman Ken Bates

The west London club have been given the same amount of tickets as Fulham, despite having an average gate that is twice the size of their west London rivals.

Chelsea have also been aggrieved by the FA's decision to stage the last four contest more than 100 miles away in Birmingham on a Sunday evening.

Chelsea wanted the fixture to be played in the capital at Highbury.

Surrender

The vociferous reaction on Saturday was made by those in the Matthew Harding Lower Stand.

Fans sitting in that part of the ground had to give up their seats to West Ham fans for the fifth-round FA Cup tie last month.

"FA Cup rules state that 15% of capacity must be made available to the away fans if so demanded," Bates told the Chelsea official website.

"That is 6,000. Where can we put them? Only the Matthew Harding Lower.

"Its only the big cup matches that it happens.

"Preston and Norwich didn't want them - but West Ham did and we had to surrender them."