FA Cup

Rafael Benitez: 'I cannot change Chelsea fans who boo me'

By Paul Gorst, Reporter
Published: 14 April 2013 5:33 AM

Benitez: 'I cannot change fans who boo me'

Chelsea's interim manager Rafael Benitez accepts that he can do little to change the view of fans who have booed him since his arrival at the club in November.

Chelsea's interim manager Rafael Benitez has admitted that he can do little to change the opinion of fans who boo him at Stamford Bridge.

The Spaniard has been the subject of regular derision from Blues fans who don't like him due to his ties with former club Liverpool.

However, despite leading the club to the FA Cup and Europa League semi-finals and keeping the side on course for a top-four finish in the Premier League, the boos persist and Benitez accepts that he can do little to alter the collective mood inside the stadium.

"You might think: 'I don't like the manager but still I have the priority that this is my team so I will support the team,'" Benitez told the Daily Mail.

"The majority of the fans have been positive after that. Still you have people who do not like you, but you cannot change these people.

"I was thinking about the best for the team. And I thought that the best for the team was to send a message that we have to stick together. Reflecting and thinking, at the end it was something positive for everyone because they realised you have to support the team."

Chelsea meet Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley this afternoon.