UEFA rule could prevent "Chelsea" from playing a home game in the Champions League

A little-known UEFA rule could seriously affect the chances of the English club "Chelsea" in the Champions League.

Idman.Biz reports that "Chelsea", which advanced to the 1/8 final stage of the tournament by defeating "Napoli" on the road, may face unexpected problems in the next round. Thus, the London representative may lose the opportunity to hold the return match at their home stadium "Stamford Bridge".

The issue is related to UEFA's rule allowing only one game to be held in a city on the same evening. According to the rule, several Champions League matches are not organized in the same city on the same day to avoid overloading the security forces.

"Arsenal" and "Tottenham", who finished the group stage higher than "Chelsea", have priority rights for the matches to be held on March 17 and 18. This puts into question "Chelsea" holding a home game in London on those days.

Therefore, "Chelsea" will need to appeal to UEFA to have the rule in question exceptionally cancelled and obtain support from the London city authorities. It is reported that the holding of numerous football matches in London on weekends does not create a serious obstacle in this matter.

It should be noted that according to UEFA rules, teams cannot hold parallel matches on the day of the match in the same stadium, in the same city, or in cities located within a 50-kilometer radius of each other. This rule aims to organize security measures more effectively.