Chelsea Could Miss Out on Playing Champions League Matches at Home

The Stamford Bridge team could lose home advantage in their next Champions League match due to a UEFA regulation

The turn-around

Chelsea turned the game around against Napoli and won 3-2, knocking them out of the Champions League and securing sixth place, automatically advancing to the round of 16.

The dilemma

The London team faces a major dilemma for discussion in the weeks leading up to the round of 16: it could lose the chance to play a match at Stamford Bridge.

It’s just that UEFA regulations only allow one match per night in the same city; London is an interesting case because there are so many teams, and Arsenal and Tottenham Spurs both qualified directly for the round of 16. With only two dates available, one of the London teams would be unable to play at home, according to UEFA rules.

Solutions

In this case, Chelsea would have to secure support from the Metropolitan Police and London authorities in order to convince the championship organizers that it can be held without any issues. This is just a UEFA regulation, since the high concentration of teams in this city means it’s normal for these kinds of events to take place simultaneously.

If this situation is not resolved, the English Football Association will have to announce a stadium that is not within a 50 km radius of the other match, so that Chelsea can play their Round of 16 match at home.