Latest news with #ChelseaFans
BBC News
04-08-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'I liked the sound of Chelsea, so I picked them'
We know the relationship between a football fan and their club is a special one so, as we gear up for the new season, we asked you to share why you fell in love with Chelsea and some of your favourite moments supporting them. Sam: Wolves v Chelsea 1977. Chelsea were banned from away games towards the end of the season with no tickets for the game available to Chelsea fans. Me and my mate heard there were touts selling tickets in the Chelsea area so a day before the game we decided to try our luck to find if we could somehow get hold of some tickets. We bunked off school and made our way to Chelsea from Leyton in the remote hope of finding someone with match tickets. As luck would have it, we found a tout and got four tickets. As we were leaving, we were approached by a man claiming to be from the club and said they were looking for two ballboys for the Chelsea v QPR reserve game urgently and from thinking we were busted, we were taken to the dressing rooms to get tracksuited up. Relieved and excited at the same time, we kept the tracksuits as well. We drove to Wolverhampton with Wolves needing a point to go up as champions and us needing a point to go up as well to Division One. The game ended with a 1-1 scoreline so both teams got what they wanted - but my abiding memory of that day was seeing 10,000+ banned Chelsea fans in one massive stand in the ground. I'm sure that day the saying you can't ban a Chelsea fan was born. Send your pictures and stories here
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
João Pedro leaves it to Chelsea fans to celebrate after double against old side
This time last week, João Pedro was on a Brazilian beach; now he's in the Club World Cup final, handed a standing ovation by old fans and new. The 23-year-old forward had been on holiday in Rio de Janeiro when they called to say his £60m transfer to Chelsea had been completed and could he come straight here. Two days and a single training session later, he made his debut in Philadelphia, more than 4,000 miles north of home, a promising glimpse of a future. Four days after that, he was given his first start in New Jersey. It took 18 minutes to get a glorious goal. By the time he headed off, an hour in, he had another. He didn't celebrate either, but there will be another chance soon. He'll be back here on Sunday, Chelsea delivered to the final day. He, perhaps more than any of them, knows what this means. 'I can't stop doing my job,' he had said the day before this semi-final against Fluminense; no one expected him to start doing it quite so quickly, and definitely not quite so well. Yes, he had prepared – 'I was in Brazil with friends but I have a personal trainer; imagine if I didn't train and Chelsea called me to come,' he said – but still. This was something else, certainly compared to the Chelsea strikers who have gone before. He might not even have had the chance to play at all but for the suspension of Liam Delap, but by the time he walked, his work was done, a case made to start on his own merits. As he departed, João Pedro applauded the Chelsea fans to his left. Then he applauded the Fluminense fans to his right. Please allow me to introduce myself. And: sorry about that. Both applauded back, from Rio de Janeiro to the Metlife and a whole new life, this was his moment. He had scored two, both of them brilliant strikes, and had been as good as his word. The first bent into the top corner; the second battered off the bar and into the net. No, he had not promised to score, still less like that, but he had promised not to celebrate if he did. And so after each, up went the hands, in apology. The team he had just defeated was his boyhood club. He joined Fluminense at 10, travelling to live in Rio with his mother. The last of the Brazilian sides that have given this tournament so much, that have made it feel a little like, well, like a World Cup, now he it was who halted their journey. 'It's not about trying to end that,' he had said. 'I know how important it is for Fluminense and I believe it's also very important for us. I'm so grateful for everything Fluminense have done for me, but I can't stop doing my job. May the best team win, and may it be a great spectacle.' The best team did win, although Marc Cucurella did clear one off the line and Chelsea did need a VAR interception to avoid a Fluminense penalty at 1-0. But in truth it wasn't especially spectacular. The game wasn't, anyway. The goals really were. Out across the Hudson, in a place that is more parking lot than anything else, supporters had begun occupying the vast, exposed expanses surrounding the MetLife early. Heat rose from the floor, the smell of hot Tarmac mixing with tailgate barbecues the Brazilians brought. Huge great grills of meat under gazebos. Fluminense fans outnumbered Chelsea supporters but there were a lot of blue shirts too. There was no sign of João Pedro's 20 among them yet. Cole Palmer, who looks out over Times Square accompanied by the slogan 'Scary Good', appeared the most popular. Others brought a nostalgic touch – there were lots of Lampards out there. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion By the time they had gone through the gates, past the sign warning that no weapons were allowed inside, they had missed the US national anthem, belted out to empty stands an hour before kick-off at every game here. They weren't entirely full by the time the teams came out one player at a time – João Pedro wasn't the most cheered then but he would be – but with tickets on sale 17 times cheaper than for Madrid against PSG on Wednesday, it got quite close. 70,566 came. There was the countdown to kick-off, 3pm on a working day. And then they played. This wasn't always the fastest game, nor the most dramatic. It was hot down there – that was shown when it wasn't just the players who escaped inside at half-time but the fans too – and it never truly felt like Chelsea would not win. Nor was it a surprise. The identity of the man who carried them there was, and it was written. 'We're the ugly duckling,' the Fluminense coach, Renato Gaúcho, had said, but one of them had grown, and flown, something beautiful celebrated all round this stadium, his moment shared with everyone.
Daily Mail
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
ES Tunis vs Chelsea - Club World Club: Live score, team news and updates as the Blues need a win or a draw to avoid a shock early exit from the competition
Right, who's still up then? Well, I am, and I'm sure there are many devout Chelsea fans within the UK who are with me. If you're in the US, well, lucky you. You don't have to keep your eyelids open with toothpicks to follow this match. You can grab a drink of your choice and enjoy the show. What is that show, I hear you say? Chelsea are bidding to bounce back from the disappointment of last week's loss at the hands of Flamengo to ensure safe passage to the Club World Cup knockout stages as they take on Tunisian side ES Tunis in Philadelphia. All they have to do is avoid defeat, and they will be in the last 16. Sounds straightforward, am I right? Well, the Blues haven't made things easy in this competition, so I wouldn't be sure that tonight will be a walk in the park. Anyway, shall we get things started? I think so.
Reuters
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Chelsea fans toast Conference League trophy but look forward to bigger challenges
WROCLAW, Poland, May 29 (Reuters) - Chelsea fans toasted Wednesday's Conference League triumph with varying views on the trophy's prestige, but all were united on at least one front, that the future looks bright for the London club. After going a goal down, Chelsea quickly asserted themselves and left little doubt by the final whistle that they were the better side, closing the match in Wroclaw with a commanding 4-1 victory over Spanish side Real Betis. Chelsea are now the first English side to win all four major European trophies, having twice claimed both the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League as well as the now defunct Cup Winners' Cup. They have also won two UEFA Super Cups. "A trophy always feels good," said lifelong Chelsea fan Martin as he was celebrating in the old town of the Polish city. "Of course it is a real trophy. We haven't had the best season, but we completed the set, we won everything in Europe there is to win," said another supporter, James. Still, there were murmurs among the fans about the tournament's lack of prestige and competitiveness. "During the whole tournament, I did not feel like it was a competition. It was obvious Chelsea was going to win," Chelsea fan Marip said. "Hopefully next year we will get some stronger teams to play against." "Not really a big thing. We usually win a major trophy," said a 10-year-old Chelsea supporter from London. Though there were differing views, all agreed that the club is on an upward trajectory. "I hope we get more interesting players in the transfer window, but we are in good shape for what comes," Marip added. "We have come in the top four in the Premier League and are ready for Champions League. It's all good," James said.
CNA
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Chelsea fans toast Conference League trophy but look forward to bigger challenges
WROCLAW, Poland : Chelsea fans toasted Wednesday's Conference League triumph with varying views on the trophy's prestige, but all were united on at least one front, that the future looks bright for the London club. After going a goal down, Chelsea quickly asserted themselves and left little doubt by the final whistle that they were the better side, closing the match in Wroclaw with a commanding 4-1 victory over Spanish side Real Betis. Chelsea are now the first English side to win all four major European trophies, having twice claimed both the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League as well as the now defunct Cup Winners' Cup. They have also won two UEFA Super Cups. "A trophy always feels good," said lifelong Chelsea fan Martin as he was celebrating in the old town of the Polish city. "Of course it is a real trophy. We haven't had the best season, but we completed the set, we won everything in Europe there is to win," said another supporter, James. Still, there were murmurs among the fans about the tournament's lack of prestige and competitiveness. "During the whole tournament, I did not feel like it was a competition. It was obvious Chelsea was going to win," Chelsea fan Marip said. "Hopefully next year we will get some stronger teams to play against." "Not really a big thing. We usually win a major trophy," said a 10-year-old Chelsea supporter from London. Though there were differing views, all agreed that the club is on an upward trajectory. "I hope we get more interesting players in the transfer window, but we are in good shape for what comes," Marip added.
