The cheers quickly faded through to the boos from the stands.
“If we show solidarity, we are solidarity and we must do it together. We take a knee together, if an important person from other clubs or our club unfortunately dies, we show a minute of respect,” Tuchel told reporters after the match. That Chelsea won 4-0.
“It’s not the moment to give other messages, it’s a moment to show respect. We’re doing it because that’s what we are also as a club, showing respect as a club. We need our fans to commit to this moment of applause at the moment.
“We’re doing it for Ukraine, there’s no second opinion about the situation there. They have our ideas and our support, and we have to stand together as a club.”
CNN contacted Chelsea about the cheers but did not immediately receive a response.
Billionaire owner Chelsea Abramovich announced earlier this week that he intends to sell the club after nearly 20 years at the helm. At that time, Chelsea won the Champions League twice and five English Premier League titles.
According to the sanctions list website, Abramovich, who maintains that he is not an official political figure of Russia, has not been sanctioned by the United Kingdom.
Across the Premier League, teams showed their support for Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion.
Besides applause before kick-off, stadium screens displayed the message “Football Stands Together” in the colors of the Ukrainian flag and the captains wore blue and yellow armbands.
In Saturday’s match, Chelsea finished winning thanks to second-half goals from Reece James and Christian Pulisic and two goals from Kai Havertz.
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