Middlesbrough vs. Chelsea FA Cup: Mikel gets special role with Lineker and Shearer
A former player of both clubs, Mikel won 11 trophies with Chelsea including four FA Cups
It is fitting that former Super Captain John Mikel alongside Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer will be pundits when Middlesbrough host Chelsea Saturday evening in an English FA Cup match.
A former player of both clubs, Mikel won 11 trophies with Chelsea including four FA Cups.
Mikel joined Middlesbrough in the 2019 winter transfer window. The former Eagles Captain made 19 appearances for Boro, scoring once against Rotherham United on May 5 2019 as the team narrowly missed out on a play-off spot finishing seventh.
Today’s FA Cup match has not been without controversy. Chelsea’s call for the match to be played without fans was greeted with general condemnation.
Middlesbrough manager Chris Wilder slammed Chelsea’s ‘baffling’ request for the FA Cup tie between the pair to be played behind closed doors.
Due to financial restrictions placed on the club after Roman Abramovich’s assets were frozen by the UK government, Chelsea are unable to sell tickets to fans for away fixtures and released a statement earlier this week saying ‘sporting integrity’ will be compromised if they are forced to play the match without a full away end.
Chelsea eventually withdrew their request after the FA made clear their opposition to it, but were able to sell around 600 tickets for the fixture before the ban on sales came into effect. Wilder had little sympathy for Chelsea’s situation.
‘The club is not in jeopardy, is it?’ said Wilder in his press conference ahead of Sunday’s tie. ‘It’s not a situation like a Macclesfield or a Bury in the football pyramid.’
“Chelsea will go up for sale and it will be bought by a billionaire, who will possibly invest more money into it, they’ll possibly invest in the stadium, invest in the facilities, so I don’t think there is — in the football world — an incredible amount of sympathy over what’s happening.
‘I don’t think Chelsea supporters would expect that as well. 99.9% of people who love the game thought “what is going on?” It was certainly a decision that was met universally with displeasure. It was baffling.’
Middlesbrough have reached the quarter-finals by knocking out Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, and are seventh in the Championship table with nine games left to play.
