The ‘contingency’ slot will be used twice this weekend and again next month, when Manchester United go to Fulham
The Premier League will stage two 7pm kick-offs this Sunday evening when Chelsea host Brentford and Tottenham travel to Southampton.
Both matches were rescheduled to Sunday due to Chelsea and Tottenham’s participation in Europe on Thursday night - but supporters are unhappy with the evening kick-off slot.
The Premier League granted Chelsea permission to move their match to 7pm due to Enzo Maresca’s side making the eight-hour, 3,700-mile journey home from Almaty in the south of Kazakhstan on Thursday, following the 3-1 win over Astana in the Europa Conference League. Given the extraordinary lengths of Chelsea’s travel, the Premier League allowed the Blues additional time for recovery before hosting Brentford - even though Maresca was able to leave several first-team stars, such as Cole Palmer, at home.
Palmer is fresh to face Brentford having been left out of the Europa Conference League squad
Palmer is fresh to face Brentford having been left out of the Europa Conference League squad (Getty Images)
Tottenham will also kick-off at the same time when Ange Postecoglou’s side go to Southampton. The meeting of Postecoglou and Russell Martin - in what promises to be an entertaining, high-wire clash of two attack-minded coaches, dubbed the ‘Principles of Play’ derby - was selected for live broadcast by TNT Sports.
However, with Spurs facing Rangers at Ibrox in the Europa League on Thursday night, the broadcaster’s usual 12:30pm kick-off slot on Saturday afternoon could not be used. And, as Sky Sports are already showing matches in their usual times of 2pm and 4:30pm on Sunday, TNT were left with 12pm and 7pm to choose from. As Chelsea were able to say they needed more preparation time after travelling back from Kazakhstan, Spurs could say that the 12pm option was not suitable due to their game in Glasgow.
The 7pm Sunday slot is unusual and was initially only introduced as a “contingency” option. It was used on an almost weekly basis during the 2020/21 Covid season, which was played behind closed doors and with every match on TV due to fans not being able to attend games, but the Football Supporters’ Association has warned that it is being turned to more and more. For instance, Manchester United’s trip to Fulham on Sunday 26 January has also been moved to 7pm. Another United away match, at Everton on the weekend of 22/23 February, may also be moved to Sunday night, depending on whether they are involved in a play-off for the Europa League knock-out rounds.
United will go to Fulham in another 7pm Sunday kick-off
United will go to Fulham in another 7pm Sunday kick-off (Getty Images)
“The Sunday evening kick-off slot is really unpopular with match-goers as public transport options are limited and it’s no good for families with young kids,” an FSA spokesperson said. “When the general slot was announced the Premier League told us it was a ‘contingency’ - but it seems to be getting used an awful lot for such a provision.
“A big part of the problem is allowing broadcasters to choose ‘conditional’ picks which are then moved when a team progresses in Europe. The Premier League puts broadcasters first by allowing them to select such games knowing full well conditional picks are very likely to be rescheduled again.”
The rise of 7pm kick-offs can also be put down to the expansion of Uefa competitions this season. The increase of Champions League and Europa League fixtures, with two extra games in the initial league phase, has added to an already packed schedule for the top clubs who are starting to find that the Premier League are more receptive to offering more recovery time. There is now a “rest period” of at least 60 hours between games over the festive period, while teams who play away fixtures in the Champions League on a Wednesday night are now granted to play on Saturday evening rather than the 12:30pm slot famously opposed by former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who called them a “crime”.
The clubs, though, naturally want more rest periods. Tottenham would have had 62 hours between playing at Ibrox and facing Southampton at St Mary’s, if the kick-off time on the Sunday was at 12pm. Manchester United would have been handed the same turnaround time next month between hosting Rangers and travelling to south London to meet Fulham, but they were also able to push their Sunday kick-off back to 7pm.
It will come as a cost to fans, with the last train back to Manchester leaving long before the full-time whistle is blown, although the club are set to subsidise coach travel. If that move signals an usual set of circumstances, it also feels as if this is the start of a normalisation of a wider trend.