For the first time since 1995, a Premier League match will be played on Christmas Eve. To the incomprehension of some supporters of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea FC.
The match between Wolves and Chelsea FC, which was actually scheduled for December 23, will not take place until one day later on Christmas Eve (2 p.m.) due to a transmission problem. This was announced by the English Football League in the course of the new scheduling on Thursday and referred to the fact that the game could not otherwise be broadcast live on the pay-TV channel “Sky”.
Not a novelty in the Premier League, but it’s been a very long time since there was a kick on Christmas Eve: The last time there was this scenario was in 1995, when Leeds United and Manchester United met at 1 p.m. on December 24. At that time, Leeds had the better end, beating the Red Devils 3:1.
In England, unlike in other European leagues, games are traditionally played on Christmas Day. The so-called Boxing Day is played on December 26.
Chelsea supporters call for “this decision to be reversed “
The postponement of the match caused a lot of anger among the supporters of the clubs concerned, as late as Thursday the supporters’ club “Chelsea Supporters’ Trust” issued a statement, calling the scheduling “totally unacceptable”. The fan representatives now want to officially request that “the Premier League consults the fans on this matter and reverses this decision,” it was said on the part of the supporters. Accordingly, they have asked for a meeting with the league and expect this to take place “together with the ‘Wolves 1877 Trust’ and the ‘Football Supporters’ Association’ very soon”.
