More Off Pitch Issues Set To Distract Chelsea Fans

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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca enjoyed a far better year at Stamford Bridge than many fans may have initially expected given the incredible financial spending in recent transfer markets and the issues he faced in terms of squad player bloat and the sheer number of ‘first team’ players he had to juggle.

In amongst all the off pitch noises, talk of Profit and Sustainability Rules and hotels, the 45 year old Italian had a great first season in charge and took them back to the Champions League with a solid fourth place finish and with the side competing in this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup tournament, the football is not over yet even though preparations for the coming 2025/26 campaign will now be taking place in the background.

Whilst technically in the off season, there is plenty of news for Chelsea fans to occupy themselves with but with matchday betting largely over, some will be looking into how they can use a Bet Panda casino cashback bonus for a bit of online gaming, and whilst they do that, sadly for fans though, the off pitch distractions that seem to come with their new owners continue and the latest news headlines concern Todd Boehly’s involvement with ticket resellers Vivid Seats.

Boehly is both a director and investor in the company and it is described by the Premier League as being an ‘unauthorised ticket seller’ and it is does not operate in the United Kingdom, however this does not stop the site from featuring Chelsea tickets on its website and last season some Stamford Bridge seats went for a whopping £20,000.

Chelsea Supporters’ Trust (CST) have previously asked the Premier League to ‘act and investigate’ the situation and the perceived links that exist, with an open letter back in March stating that it was a ‘breach of trust and ‘a clear conflict of interest’. The Supporters’ Trust have also submitted evidence against the American company to the Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Premier League Chief Executive Officer Richard Masters has previously explained that the organisation are in discussions with Chelsea over the matter and at a Football Supporters’ Association even last week, he added that the situation was ‘ongoing’.

Whilst neither Boehly, Chelsea or Vivid have yet responded to the BBC’s request for a comment on this topic, it is expected that statements will be forthcoming shortly. The club themselves have recently pledged to take action on ticket touts, but their prior statement did not name Vivid or other ticket resellers directly. However, the CST did state that they were ‘encouraged’ by this pledge.

Whilst not directly related to the issue of ticket reselling or ticket touts, concerns have already been aired about a perceived ‘flat’ atmosphere at Stamford Bridge and that issue had already been highlighted by both current manager Enzo Maresca, and former manager Mauricio Pochettino and it comes amidst some trials of ‘singing sections’ in Europa Conference League games.

The sooner proper football comes back the better really.