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Arsenal Vs Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp hits nail on head regarding ridiculous fixture
Jurgen Klopp has lambasted the request of Sky Sports to have Arsenal vs Liverpool played on Christmas Eve. And rightly so. What a terrible decision it would be.
The football fan is an increasingly maligned and disrespected person in the world of football. Rising ticket prices, detached players, more and more TV subscriptions to buy, evening away games with crazy travel distances to cover. These are all examples of decisions being made and progressions being implemented that disrespect and discourage the football fan. And now, Sky Sports’ latest request might be the worst of the lot.
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Sky, as we all know, are the powerhouses of the footballing market. They are the big investors in the Premier League; the Premier League is, essentially, under their control. Money, in football, tends to equal power. And they and BT Sport, the two English-based TV companies that hold coverage rights for the Premier League, have to bid for certain games on certain games.
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Sky, in their latest f*ck you to the football fan, has requested that Arsenal vs Liverpool, the return fixture of the four-goal dismantling in August, be played as a 4:00 PM kick-off on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve, this year, falls on a Sunday, and Sky, with their Super Sunday branding, tends to secure the rights for the best game of the weekend to show as a 4:00 PM kick-off on the Sunday. And that is what they are wanting to do here.
Thankfully, there has been significant backlash to their proposal, least of all, from Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp. When asked about Sky’s proposal, Klopp, rightly, stated that, while he feared they would get want they want as they are the television broadcaster with all the power, he struggled with why the proposal would be agreed to:
"“If the supporters want to see a game at Christmas Eve then the television broadcaster will find a way. It would be four games in nine days for us. If we have to play Dec 24, Sky has to make a decision whether they really want to do this. If Sky really want to do this, we are the last one who may have something to say about the decision. I really cannot imagine people want to watch football on that night.”"
And Klopp is absolutely spot on. It is a ridiculous suggestion from Sky and if the Premier League were to agree, it would only further prove the power that they hold in influencing the fixture schedule.
How can a football fan be expected to travel from Liverpool to North London on Christmas Eve, for a 4:00 PM kick-off, and then return to Liverpool in time for Christmas? It is scandalous.
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The worst aspect of all of this is that Klopp is probably right. Sky will get their way and we, as the football fan, will have to endure a Christmas Eve game. Yet another decision that continues to spite the average fan.