It is Chester’s case, though, that is perhaps the most complex. There has been no sign, as yet, that the Welsh government will change its stance, Morris said. “They are insistent we fall under Welsh law,” he said.
Wales has offered Chester payments to make up for lost ticket sales, but the club has been advised that accepting them could jeopardize its registration with the English F.A. Morris remains hopeful that the Welsh regulations will change in the next few weeks, permitting fans to attend and ending the stalemate. But he conceded that if they remain in place for another month it could “tip the club over the edge” into financial crisis.
The consequences could even run further than that. Sumner said that he worries that “the way football is organized between the two countries now comes into question.”
“It is a strange fight to pick,” he said. “Nobody cared about the border before. Now this has opened a can of worms, and it could cause a lot of damage.”