Chelsea is currently locking horns with Ligue outfit LOSC Lille at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy with a controlling stake in their round of 16 tie after a 2-0 home win at Stamford Bridge in the first leg, and at the time of writing are 1-0 down but still, look odds-on favorites to advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
But should the Blues be granted access to the next round of Europe's premier club competition, Chelsea will be forced to play their remaining continental fixtures behind closed doors after UEFA has put themselves in lock-step with EU sanctions against club owner Roman Abramovich.
As reported by The Athletic, UEFA released an official statement showing their commitment to following the lead set by the EU given the current situation that is evolving around Abramovich's ties to Vladimir Putin.
"UEFA is fully committed to always implementing relevant EU and international sanctions. Our understanding is that the present case is assessed in the context of the license issued in the UK, which allows Chelsea FC to continue minimum football activity while providing a safeguard that no financial gain will result for Mr. Abramovich."
"We will work with the EU and relevant member states to ensure we have full clarity and remain in lockstep with all relevant and applicable measures in line with latest developments. UEFA will keep on working closely with, and support, the players, staff, and fans of Chelsea during these difficult times to allow them to represent their colors on the pitch."
Chelsea fall back on FA Cup request
Speaking of behind closed doors, Chelsea withdrew their request to play out their FA Cup quarterfinal tie with Championship outfit Middlesbrough after the Blues initially appealed to the English FA to consider "sporting integrity" given their inability to have the maximum allotted away fans attend the clash at the Riverside Stadium.
Under the special license that the club is currently operating under, fans that have already purchased tickets for the clash are able to attend but Chelsea is unable to sell additional tickets to max out the traveling support.
Certainly, this means that the Blues will be heavily underrepresented when they take on Boro but whether or not that will have an actual say in proceedings remains unclear.
However, what is clear is that Chelsea look set to be under the gun on all fronts for the remainder of the season until new ownership is potentially secured moving forward.
