Chelsea's "bizarre" desire to play Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final at the Riverside behind closed doors has been criticised by Middlesbrough.
Chelsea's ticket sales were halted last Thursday as a result of the UK government penalizing Roman Abramovich for his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Blues are only permitted to continue operating under a special government license that allows existing ticket holders to attend games, but no new sales, including home and away matchday tickets, are permitted.
Chelsea had sold 650 tickets out of a total of 4,620 at the Riverside, and they believe they are now at a competitive disadvantage and that a game behind closed doors would be beneficial "the most equitable course of action in the current situation
The FA has revealed that Chelsea has approached them to request that the game be played in front of an empty stadium, a move that Middlesbrough has branded "bizarre" and "without any merit whatsoever" in a statement on their website.
They stated: "Chelsea has been sanctioned for reasons that are well known to all parties involved, and this has nothing to do with Middlesbrough Football Club.
"All parties involved are well aware of the reasons for Chelsea's suspension and that this has nothing to do with Middlesbrough Football Club," they said.
"To say that Middlesbrough and our fans should be punished as a result is not only terribly unfair, but also without any basis."
Given the reasons for the sanctions, Chelsea's attempt to use sporting "purity" as a justification for the game being played behind closed doors is absurd.
"We are still awaiting formal notification from the FA about the next steps, but rest assured that Middlesbrough will vigorously oppose Chelsea's activities."
The Chelsea Supporters Trust has also urged the club to drop its proposal, claiming that "playing behind closed doors benefits no supporters."
