Before the Women’s Super League season started, Arsenal and Everton agreed to move their match, scheduled for January 20, forward to 2pm — the idea was an earlier kick-off would give their players more time to recover before Continental Cup ties took place a few days later.
No problem, said the FA. But months later, it emerged that there was a problem.
The new kick-off time sat in the middle of the blackout period — from 2:45pm to 5:15pm on Saturdays — in which football is restricted from being broadcast in England.
The blackout originates from UEFA rules, specifically Article 48, which permits member nations to select a two-and-a-half-hour weekend slot in which live football is banned from screens. In England, the rule only emerged in 1987 when ITV struck a major television deal with the English Football League (EFL). The FA, in conjunction with broadcasters, decided Saturday afternoons should be sacrosanct.
Arsenal’s match against Everton could only be shown online after full-time (Arsenal FC/Getty Images)
By the time the issue from Arsenal and Everton’s game came to light, it was too late to make changes. Tickets had been sold and fans had booked travel, so the game went ahead, without being shown live on the FA’s official streaming site, the FA…
