Chelsea warn fans some may not be able to attend match over seating issue

Some sections of the Matthew Harding Stand are still to have rail seats installed ahead of the Crystal Palace fixture.

Chelsea may have to close certain sections of Stamford Bridge this weekend (Andy Rain/PA) (PA Archive)

Chelsea have warned some fans they may not be able to attend Saturday’s Premier League opener due to a seating issue at Stamford Bridge.

The club have been installing rail seating in certain sections of the stadium over the summer.

Most of the work is now complete but the club cannot guarantee all parts of the Matthew Harding Stand lower will be finished before the game against Crystal Palace

This is because of an issue with supply from the manufacturer. The affected blocks are eight, nine, 14, 15 and 16.

Should these parts of the stadium need to remain closed, fans will be notified. Refunds of tickets and reasonable travel expenses will be offered in compensation as well as a complimentary ticket to a Champions League fixture.

A final announcement will be made on Friday at 3pm.

A club statement read: “We continue to work with the manufacturer and our teams on site to ensure as many seats as possible are available.

“We sincerely apologise for this situation, we should have done better. We have tried everything possible to avoid it, but due to the bespoke nature of the fittings we have no alternative but to wait and see if the supplier can meet our manufacturing and fitting deadlines.”