Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior says his players “don’t want to antagonise and bring more noise on ourselves” by conducting their pre-match huddle in the centre circle.
It follows the unusual scene before Saturday 1-0 Premier League defeat by Newcastle when referee Paul Tierney was standing over the ball before kick-off but did not move away as the Chelsea players gathered around him for captain Reece James delivered his team talk.
Rosenior says a decision has not yet been made over where they will do the huddle for Tuesday’s Champions League match against Paris St-Germain but it is expected they will move its positioning from the centre circle.
It is understood that the officials had warned Chelsea not to gather around the ball before kick-off because it risks a mass confrontation when the opponents are due to start the match.
After the Newcastle match, Rosenior said Tierney should “focus on his job” and said he would be speaking to his bosses at PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited), insisting his players had “respected the ball”.
Speaking on Monday, Rosenior said discussion about the huddle had been “blown out of proportion” and was a “distraction for the media”
“The lads always wanted to show unity and togetherness: the lads will continue to do that,” he said before their Champions League last-16 match against Paris St-Germain on Tuesday.
“We don’t want to antagonise and bring the noise on ourselves. We will make a decision on where we do that tomorrow.”
Rosenior said he had not yet spoken to the PGMOL but he had a meeting in person scheduled with them this week.
“The point of what I was saying after the game, it wasn’t about the huddle. It was about my perspective on certain decisions made in the game. It would be great to meet them and have an in-depth conversation with them,” he added.
The huddle was the brainchild of now-injured captain Reece James rather than Rosenior, who explained their purpose saying: “That is the best way I think I can get messages across to them.”
Chelsea need to overcome a 5-2 deficit on Tuesday night after a late collapse away at PSG in the first-leg at Parc des Princes.
Speaking about the issue, PSG boss Luis Enrique said: “I was surprised when I saw it. But I heard Liam talk about it with maturity.
“We can see different things but if there is respect – and I think there is a respect from Chelsea players and staff – no problem at all.”
Former Premier League assistant referee referee Darren Cann told BBC Sport he had never seen anything as strange “in 50 years of watching football” after seeing the incident on Saturday.
He was also able to shed some light on the incident, saying: “As it was Newcastle’s kick-off, the referee [took] control of the ball on the halfway line and was there to prevent any potential issues.
“When it is their kick-off, there is no particular issue. However, when their opponents have to kick off, there is potential for confrontation.”