Chelsea fans who made the arduous 7,000-mile round-trip to Almaty, Kazakhstan, for the UEFA Conference League clash against Astana received a heartfelt letter from head coach Enzo Maresca and sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, as well as special badges as a token of appreciation.

While some fans saw the gesture as a classy move, others felt the club could have done more to recognize their commitment.

One supporter on social media, msbr_, wrote, “Nice touch tbh, expected nothing haha.”

Another, AverageCarey, praised the move, saying, “Class. That’s no easy trip, it’s a long one, it was very cold weather to be watching in and a game that was essentially a dead rubber due to their standings and the players who were on the pitch. This is supporting a club, so good on the fans and the Chelsea higher-ups.”

Some supporters, however, expressed disappointment.
Imbluedabudeedabuda commented, “I’ll preface by saying I’m a cynical bastard. But realistically, this is the fan relations equivalent of throwing a pizza party to boost morale instead of giving everyone a fat bonus. Then again, better than nothing. I was expecting nothing.”

Another fan, Successful-Return-78, questioned why the club didn’t do more: “Is it so hard to give them some VIP tickets for some game? You can’t get cheaper PR and they do this.”

Meanwhile, 4djain2 criticized the effort further, stating, “What a shit way to commend the die-hard fans. Surely they could have been given some sort of vouchers/discount/signed stuff on top of a shite letter.”

Despite the mixed reactions, the letter and badges were an acknowledgment of the fans’ commitment to supporting Chelsea under challenging conditions, reinforcing the club’s appreciation for its global fan base.