Chelsea have issued a statement following criticism of the club's response to the travel chaos surrounding next week's Europa League final against Arsenal.
The Chelsea Supporters' Trust have claimed that the club haven't been doing enough to help fans who want to travel to the game, with ticketing, visa and flight problems being faced by supporters of both club.
In response, Chelsea said that they were unable to endorse an alternative travel option provided by the final's Local Organising Committee because they claim that theey couldn't guarantee the safety of supporters.
The statement on the Blues' website read:
"We sympathise with the problems our supporters face organising travel to Azerbaijan for the game, and would like to reassure fans that alongside Arsenal and our travel partners at Thomas Cook Sport, we have looked at various options to help them get to Baku.
"Unfortunately, a number of factors outside the club’s control have made organisation a complicated and challenging process. This includes the location of the final being 2,500 miles from London, a lack of available charter aircraft and transport infrastructure which limited the number of flights able to arrive in Baku around the final.
"The Local Organising Committee (LOC) and local authorities in Baku have informed UEFA they have organised an alternative option for supporters of both clubs to reach Baku, which would mean flying to Tbilisi (in neighbouring Georgia) and then using ground transportation from Tbilisi to Baku.
"We are grateful to the LOC for offering this option, and while we acknowledge it may prove to be cheaper than flying to Baku, it is not a straightforward journey and there will be no stewarding or the regular supporter safety measures on board train travel from Tbilisi to Baku.
"It is not an option that the club feels it can endorse as a satisfactory alternative travel route for supporters still wishing to travel to Baku."
