Massimo Cellino might have backed down the last time he threatened not to let the cameras in, but now Sky want to re-arrange the Middlesbrough game for a Monday night.
Sky are have asked the Football League and West Yorkshire Police to move the match from Saturday, February 13 to Monday, February 15, giving less than four weeks notice. This was not among the recent live games announced by the Football League, and as that included the trip to Brighton on February 29th, it had been assumed that the Boro game wouldn’t be televised.
This will add fuel to the fire, as Il Presidente fumes over the number of our games that are re-arranged for TV coverage. Cellino threatened not to allow Sky into Elland Road for the 2-2 draw with Derby County on December 27, but gave way at the last minute after the Football League threatened the club with a charge of misconduct. But he said that it was "the last time” he would tolerate a rearrangement.
Leeds have already been broadcast live 11 times this season, Cellino claims Leeds suffer a financial loss from televised matches at Elland Road due to falls in attendances and commercial income, with the games moved to times when some fans can’t get there. And with the short notice this time, there will be many fans from outside Yorkshire who have already booked travel and accommodation to be in Leeds on the Saturday.
Cellino has been quoted stating: "Ask the Leeds United fans what they think. It’s up to the Football League. I’m still trying to understand it and I’m a little confused.” So what do the fans think? In a previous article I was moaning about the inconvenience to match-going fans, but I got a missive from a Leeds fan in Germany who said he’s glad we’re on TV so much, because it gives him the chance to watch the team.
We all know that Sky want to show Leeds so much because we’ve got by far the biggest fanbase in the division, but maybe the smart thing to do would be to show more Leeds away games, when Cellino isn’t in a position to deny them entry. And it would be nice if they could pick all the away games where we get a low ticket allocation, and be decent enough to give us plenty of warning of any changes.