Manchester City’s Premier League game against Leeds United on Saturday is shown on UK TV despite the 3pm blackout rule.
Manchester City’s progress to the Champions League semi-finals means their home game against Leeds has been brought forward to May 7-6.
However, the game originally scheduled to air on Sunday is still being shown live on Sky Sports in the UK despite the blackout rule.
The Premier League have confirmed the game cannot start at 12:30 p.m. due to the coronation of King Charles III, which takes place on the same day and starts at 11 a.m.
What is the 3 p.m. blackout?
Saturday at 3pm is the traditional kick-off time for all weekend games in the UK.
The blackout rule – also known as Article 48 – has been in place since the 1960s and prohibits the broadcast of matches between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on Saturdays to protect spectators across the EFL and all lower divisions than the Premier League.
It is designed to help clubs that rely on entry receipts rather than TV offers for the majority of their income.
Could the 3 p.m. blackout ever be aborted?
The rule was dropped when football resumed after the coronavirus pandemic due to fans being unable to attend matches inside stadiums.
Premier League chief Richard Masters said in March there were no plans to scrap the rule.
“We have been supporters of Article 48 throughout the Premier League period and I don’t see that changing in the short term,” Masters said.
GO FURTHER
Is it time to end Saturday’s 3pm blackout or is it necessary to protect the pyramid?
What is at stake between Manchester City and Leeds?
Manchester City can pull four points away from Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table with a win.
Reigning champions Pep Guardiola have won nine consecutive league games while striker Erling Haaland broke the Premier League single-season goalscoring record in midweek with a 35th goal of the season.
Leeds United are 17th in the Premier League table after a five-game winless streak and are only in the bottom three on goal difference.
Last weekend’s 4-1 loss to Bournemouth saw Javi Gracia replaced by Sam Allardyce for the remainder of the season.
What else has changed this weekend?
The UK’s first royal coronation since 1953 ensures it won’t be your ordinary weekend, with the English football calendar not immune to disruption.
Half of the Premier League games scheduled have been moved from Saturday, along with all 36 games of what will be the final weekend of the EFL regular season. The timetables have been redesigned to ensure that nothing conflicts with the service itself.
Tottenham’s home clash with Crystal Palace (nine miles north of Westminster Abbey), was kept on Saturday, but West Ham’s game with Manchester United was pushed back to Sunday (7pm), while Fulham’s home game against Leicester City takes place on what has become another bank holiday Monday (3pm).
The Ligue 1 season will reach its final on Sunday (all midday kick-offs) before the end of Ligue 2 (12:30 p.m.) and the Championship (3:00 p.m.) on Monday.
GO FURTHER
Coronation of King Charles III: what impact on football matches?
(Photo: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
