There is a clause in UEFA’s rulebook that offers a potential escape route, although it remains annoying.
The rules add: “Exceptionally however, in such cases, the teams eligible to play the second leg of this round may decide, by notifying the UEFA administration before the draw, to reverse the schedule and play the first leg at home instead of playing the second leg at an alternative venue.”
This leaves Chelsea faced with a difficult decision. They could fight to play at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night – an option described as “unlikely” by senior figures according to The Sundue to clashes with Europa League and TV schedules—or they could voluntarily give up their hard-won profits.
Flipping the schedule would allow the match to take place at Stamford Bridge, but that would mean playing the first leg at home and the decisive second leg away. This essentially punished Rosenior’s squad for qualifying at the same time as their local rivals.
A UEFA spokesperson confirmed that “discussions regarding scheduling are ongoing with local authorities,” but as it stands, Chelsea are victims of their own success—and London’s.
