There will reportedly be just one Premier League fixture held on December 26 this year, with the English top flight set to abandon the famous Boxing Day tradition.
According to the Mail Online, calendar pressures caused by UEFA competition expansion – and the FA Cup switching exclusively to weekend dates – have been major contributing factors in the controversial move.
Premier League bosses are contractually obliged to bring 33 weekends of action to broadcasters and these pressures mean this coming Boxing Day will now be viewed the same as any other Friday in the season.
While there is yet to be official confirmation of the decision, the remaining matches over the festive period are expected to be held over the course of Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
The report claims further rounds of discussions will take place in due course, but a change of direction is deemed ‘unlikely’ at this stage, which could cause uproar amongst fans up and down the country.
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It remains to be seen which fixture will be selected for those tuning into the sole offering of top-flight drama on Boxing Day.
The league had previously suggested an announcement – regarding which games would be televised over Christmas – would be made on October 15. However, that date came and went and there was still no clarity provided.
The tradition stretches way back to 1888, when the first recorded Boxing Day match took place.
Supporters may be pleased to learn that Boxing Day falls on a Saturday next year, opening the door for normal service to resume.
The expansion of UEFA competitions led to FA Cup replays being ditched last year, a move that proved massively contentious given the loss of money through TV coverage and ticket sales for teams competing lower down in the pyramid.
Criticising the change, EFL CEO Trevor Birch said: ‘This is another traditional revenue stream lost for EFL clubs at a time when the financial gap between the biggest clubs and those further down the pyramid is widening.’
Meanwhile, National League CEO Mark Ives argued: ‘We have at no stage voiced our support for the scrapping of FA Cup replays or otherwise.
‘It was a decision made by the Professional Game Board (PGB) which is made up of the FA, Premier League and EFL.’
More to follow.
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