England dealt TV blow as Sky Sports and BBC turn down chance to show UEFA matches

England stars are facing a TV blackout for the under-21 Championships this summer.

‌UEFA will stream England games through their website but fans will not be able to watch on television and it is unprecedented not to have a broadcast deal in place. England kick off their campaign against Czech Republic on Thursday and the players are also likely to be frustrated that the games will not be shown.

‌Premier League stars like Morgan Gibbs-White, Emile Smith Rowe, Anthony Gordon, Oliver Skipp and Liverpool duo Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones were all named in Lee Carsley’s squad. Sky showed the tournament in 2021 but did not bid this time while the BBC also decided not to screen it.

‌The blackout is a disappointment to the FA over a lack of a TV deal and also the exposure for the tournament which starts tomorrow (Wednesday) and runs until the final on July 8. It mirrors the controversy over the women’s World Cup in Australia when FIFA publicly slammed broadcasters for trying to make “low ball” offers to show the tournament.

‌The BBC and ITV eventually agreed a joint broadcast deal with FIFA but the stand-off perhaps highlights budget issues in the TV industry. UEFA said: “For now, matches will be streamed for free on UEFA TV.”

After their game against the Czechs, England will play further group matches against Israel on Sunday and Germany the following Wednesday. The top two from each group will go into the quarter-finals, meaning Carsley's men could potentially play six times in Georgia.

Lee Carsley's team won't be on BBC or Sky this summer (Michael Regan/The FA)

HAVE YOUR SAY! Would you have watched England win the UEFA Under-21 Championship? Comment below.

England's first success in the tournament since 1982, but back then the tournament spanned over two years with a series of qualifying matches. And the final was played over two legs, with the Three Lions beating West Germany on penalties after they finished 5-5 on aggregate.

Two years late they retained the trophy, beating Spain in the final 1-0 and 2-0 respectively. But since then, England's young guns have been restricted to a single final appearance in 2009, beaten 4-0 by Germany in Sweden.

Carsley is being assisted in Georgia by former Chelsea and England left-back Ashley Cole. But the side goes in on the back of defeats in their last two warm-up games against Croatia and Japan.