CHELSEA’S Europa Conference League group stage match against Astana has been moved over 770 miles away from the original location.
The Blues were set to face the Kazakhstan Premier League side at the Astana Arena.
But due to ongoing renovation work at the 30,000-seater stadium, the fixture has been moved to the other side of the massive country.
It will now be played at the Almaty Ortalyk Stadion in Almaty – on the Kyrgyzstan border and only 250 miles from China.
And, to make matters worse for the Blues, it is also set to take place in December, meaning temperatures will likely drop below freezing.
The host stadium does not have a roof, so fans will face wintry conditions.
Generally, temperatures in Almaty, Kazakhstan, range from 2°C to -7°C in December.
And, ironically, Cole Palmer – who goes by the nickname ‘Cold Palmer’ based on his goal celebration – will not be able to play.
The 22-year-old was left out of Chelsea’s Conference League squad last week.
Injury-jinxed midfielder Romeo Lavia and defender Wesley Fofana were also left out of the 27-strong group for the competition.
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Enzo Maresca made the decision to balance the work load of some young players.
Palmer was a key member of the first team squad last season and played 3,734 minutes of football in total.
So far this season the midfielder has scored once and provided four assists in five games.
Chelsea will face Gent, Heidenheim, Shamrock Rovers, Panathinaikos and Noah in their remaining Conference League group stage games.
By Matt Penn
JUST what London needs – another £1billion bowl-shaped, soulless football stadium.
No offence to Spurs, because theirs looks great, but it’s not like they had years of title-winning history to celebrate at White Hart Lane.
Arsenal moved on from Highbury a couple of years after their last Premier League title win in 2004, and to no avail, they’ve been chasing that glory ever since.
And the less said about West Ham‘s move from Upton Park, the better. The Olympic Stadium pales in significance to Upton Park, where binoculars weren’t needed to see the pitch from Row Z.
It’s no secret Chelsea fans have become disillusioned with the club since Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali took over from Roman Abramovich two years ago.
The sacking of two full-time managers in that time, a 12th-place finish in the league, no European football, billions spent on Brazilian teenagers you’ve never heard of and civil war between the owners have turned the club into a laughing stock.
Seems like the perfect time to revamp plans to leave Stamford Bridge, doesn’t it?
According to The Guardian, Chelsea are in talks to move to a new 60,000-seater site in Earl’s Court, something they’ve attempted before.
Chelsea are said to have made plans for the Lillie Bridge depot site as an area that could be developed in a move that could cost hundreds of millions.
Forget that so much else still needs fixing on the pitch, that the results are still not going the way they should, that players still can’t seem to click on a consistent basis.
The owners, who are said to be looking to buy each other out already, might not think it, and the seats might be a little rusty, but fans do value tradition.
The Bridge has been a place supporters can call home every other Saturday. It’s raw, the stands are close to the pitch, it has four sides, and most importantly, it’s owned by the fans.
For any deal to go through, Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO), a group made up of over 14,000 fans, have to approve a move away from the 42,000-seater stadium.
On the other hand, redvelopment of Stamford Bridge would see the team move away from the stadium for a number of years, likely double the three years Tottenham spent at Wembley.
But why not overhaul each stand one-by-one? Both Liverpool and Fulham had stands refurbished and they were able to stay put. There are also plans for Crystal Palace to do the same.
If Boehly and Eghbali are so desperate to put money at the forefront of their decision-making, then go about it in a way which will appease fans.
Sadly, football isn’t really about fans anymore, and it’d be easy to say Chelsea will lose their soul if they leave Stamford Bridge.
But you fear they already have.
