ARSENAL’S crunch Premier League clash against Chelsea at the end of the month has been pushed back until May.
That’s due to policing concerns over the initial weekend fixture.
Arsenal vs Chelsea at the Emirates was originally due to take place on Saturday April 29 at 5.30pm.
The thrilling game is sure to play a huge part in this season’s title race as Arsenal look to keep ahead of Man City, with the Gunners winning the first meeting at Stamford Bridge 1-0 in November.
But Chelsea’s trip to their London rivals will instead now take place on Tuesday May 2 at 8pm after the Met expressed concerns over policing.
Fans of both clubs have been left fuming, with Arsenal also expressing their disappointment at the news.
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A Gunners statement read: “The Premier League has announced that our home league match against Chelsea will now take place on Tuesday, May 2, kicking off at 8pm (UK time).
“This change has been made as a result of the Metropolitan Police revising its position on policing the match.
“After working to try to find a solution with the Met Police, we are very disappointed with the impact and disruption this fixture change will cause to our supporters, particularly after this match had been initially approved for a Saturday evening kick-off.”
A Premier League statement added: “The initial scheduling of this match was approved at a Safety Advisory Group (SAG) meeting in February.
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“However, the Metropolitan Police has now revised its position regarding the kick-off time and requested a further SAG meeting which determined the match had to be re-scheduled.
“We regret the need to move this fixture at late notice and the impact this will have on supporters. The game will remain live on Sky Sports.”
Supporters on social media were also left unimpressed with the decision to change the date.
One said: “That’s unbelievable. This is so fan unfriendly, this is unimaginable in other leagues.”
Another declared: “Bought tickets and was set to fly for my first game from US. Absolutely pathetic for them to change it this late.”
One noted: “This is so disappointing and disrespectful to the fans attending the match that are never taken into consideration.”
Another added: “Disappointing… £140 down the drain on flight and hotel fml.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
