The Premier League has revealed the reason behind Leeds United's trip to Manchester City being live broadcasted, despite it taking place on Saturday, May 3 with kick-off at 3pm. There has been a nationwide blackout on games any level in England between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on a Saturday, as per Article 48 of the Football Association's rulebook.
However, King Charles III's coronation and a lack of police resources means no other time is available to play the fixture, according to the Premier League. In a statement, they said: "The match will remain live on Sky Sports in the UK, subject to further consultation with relevant stakeholders.
"The usual Saturday 12:30 BST live broadcast slot has been avoided so as not to clash with the King's coronation, while a later kick-off is not possible due to police resourcing."
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The football blackout dates back to the 1960s and in an attempt to protect attendances at lower-league clubs, preventing live football matches being televised which could have knock on effects with fewer fans attending games in person. However, there are no EFL fixtures schedule to take place on May 6 - with the final round of the Championship, League One and League Two fixtures being played on Sunday, 7 May and Monday, 8 May.
The 3pm blackout has been lifted in recent years as 'Project Restart' in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic - allowing supporters to watch games that were being played behind closed doors. However, was restrictions eased and fans were allowed back into stadiums, the blackout was reintroduced.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters admitted it was not considering changing its support for the blackout "in the near term".
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