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Chelsea FC has addressed a security incident that occurred during their UEFA Conference League match against Djurgårdens at Stamford Bridge. During the second leg, which saw Chelsea secure a 1-0 victory, away fans reportedly gained unauthorized access to restricted areas of the stadium. This prompted the club to take immediate action to ensure the safety and comfort of their supporters.
Chelsea’s official statement on X read: “At the start of this evening’s #UECL match, Chelsea FC were aware some away fans gained access to areas of the stadium in violation of our ticketing policy. The Chelsea supporters sitting in the immediate areas impacted were relocated, with additional security and police deployed.”
Chelsea triumphed over Djurgårdens with a 5-1 aggregate score, securing their place in the Conference League final. The Blues’ manager expressed the significance of this achievement for the club’s future ambitions.
The Blues boss said: “For me, winning a trophy this season – and the Conference League trophy – is a statement that you can say: ‘Chelsea is back’. From there, it’s a good starting point to building the winning mentality and winning trophies.”
Reflecting on his personal experiences with European success, Maresca emphasized the importance of cultivating a winning mentality within the team.
Maresca said: “It’s important because it shapes yourself, all the experiences do. The best experience in terms of winning mentality has been with Juventus, because it’s a club where you realise that even in the training sessions, you want to win the small-sided games. It’s nice to win trophies, because you learn how to win. Chelsea is a big club with many important trophies in the past but we need to learn how to win with this squad, one that is different from the squad that won important trophies in the past here with Chelsea. I try to convince the players that day by day, you have to build the winning mentality. You have to win the small-sided games.”
Looking ahead, Maresca shared his thoughts on potential opponents in the final and acknowledged his connections with Manuel Pellegrini and Fiorentina.
Maresca said: “To be honest, I said many times that I consider Manuel Pellegrini one of my references, one of my professional dads because I worked with him for four years, two as a player, two as a coach. I spoke with him a lot. When I have some doubts I call him to try to solve my [problems]. I would be happy for Manuel Pellegrini. At the same time Fiorentina is an Italian club, I’m from Italy. I played one season as a player with Fiorentina but in this moment for us it’s [about] tomorrow’s game and then we see the other one.”
Chelsea’s journey in the Premier League continues with challenging fixtures ahead. The Blues are set to face Newcastle, Manchester United, and Nottingham Forest, as they aim to secure a top-four finish with only three games remaining in the season.
