BROADCASTERS are set to show Premier League games live at 3pm on Saturdays for the rest of the season – after Uefa removed a ban, reports claim.
The likes of Sky and BT could be able to televise the previously blacked-out weekend matches when the season resumes, possibly in July.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus in sport live blog for the latest news & updates
The 3pm blackout is being lifted if games are to be played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemicCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Give now to The Sun’s NHS appeal
BRITAIN’s four million NHS staff are on the frontline in the battle against coronavirus.
But while they are helping save lives, who is there to help them?
The Sun has launched an appeal to raise £1MILLION for NHS workers.
The Who Cares Wins Appeal aims to get vital support to staff in their hour of need.
We have teamed up with NHS Charities Together in their urgent Covid-19 Appeal to ensure the money gets to exactly who needs it.
The Sun is donating £50,000 and we would like YOU to help us raise a million pounds, to help THEM.
No matter how little you can spare, please donate today here thesun.co.uk/whocareswinsappeal
Clubs have always fought hard for the Saturday blackout because they feared it would hit attendances if everyone could just watch at home.
But with matches more than likely to go ahead behind closed doors, there was no bar restricting Uefa from lifting the ban.
Premier League chiefs insist it is only a technical removal of the blackout and are said to remain opposed to breaking it.
As well as the top flight, FA Cup clashes can also be shown on the BBC and BT Sport, say The Times, and games involving the 72 EFL clubs could all be made available on the iFollow service.
The Premier League could lose £750million in TV money if the season is cancelled, but it is still unclear whether this campaign will be concluded one way or another.
Scotland have also seen their ban lifted, meaning the likes of Celtic and Rangers can show their games at 3pm too.
Many fans hope that by July, the coronavirus lockdown will have ended so matches can be seen in pubs, providing a huge boost to that struggling industry.
A Uefa statement read: “Taking into account the current exceptional circumstances, Uefa has lifted the ‘blocked hours’ protection granted to the Uefa Member Associations for England and Scotland for the remainder of the 2019/20 football season, following requests from the relevant National Associations as a result of measures taken in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea are pushing to have the Saturday 3pm games TV blackout AXED when the next round of rights are up for grabs in 2022.
Meanwhile, the Premier League has admitted it will only start playing games again when completely safe to do so.
A tweet from their official account read: “The Premier League’s overriding priority is to aid the health and wellbeing of the nation and our communities. The 2019/20 season will only return when it is safe and appropriate to do so.”
The English top flight and EFL have both put off bringing football back in May, as originally planned.
But due to the financial implications and the likelihood that Uefa would expel any clubs whose leagues have cancelled their seasons from competing in next seasons Champions League and Europa League, football chiefs will now press ahead with getting games played in July.
Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend responds to Matt Hancock ‘painting footballers as villains’
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
