Sky Sports decision a disgrace after previous ‘vile’ Leeds United incident v Sheff Wed
Leeds United and Daniel Farke are enjoying an excellent run of form currently and the Whites’ hopes of automatic promotion back to the Premier League are only building.
After a dreary final season in the top flight, the mood has lifted around Elland Road and supporters are once again excited by the prospect of seeing their team compete and battle week in and week out.
However, one spanner has been thrown in the works, with news emerging on Thursday (8 February) that the Whites’ clash with Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough has been selected for broadcast by Sky Sports.
That will see the clash moved from Saturday 9 March at 3pm to an 8pm kick-off on Friday 8 March. While such a switch impacts both teams’ preparations it is also a brave call given the history between the two Yorkshire rivals.
This derby was played on a Friday night back in 2012 when one Leeds United supporter entered the field before attacking and shoving Wednesday keeper Chris Kirkland in the second half moments after Michael Tonge levelled for the Whites.
The Wednesday manager that night was Dave Jones and he made a point of voicing his unhappiness with Leeds supporters’ behaviour, not only for the incident involving Kirkland but also for chants directed at the manager.
Quoted by The Guardian (19 October 2012) he said: “All the Leeds fans will be tarred with the same brush, and they should be because from what I could hear it wasn’t just one person chanting the vile things, it was quite a lot of them.
“The club needs to clean its house out. You don’t go and wave at them after the game. For what? For wrecking a stadium and beating up my goalkeeper?
“I thought that had gone out of the game and we’re talking about that instead of a great game. They’re all vile animals, all of them, and it needs sorting and quickly.”
Sky Sports choice a mistake for Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday
Ultimately, a lot has changed since that clash almost 12 years ago, but it does seem stupid that Sky Sports would move this clash to a Friday evening, rather than an early kick-off on a Saturday or Sunday.
Not only does it make it harder for supporters to get to the game, as has been the case already this season for Leeds, but it more than likely will increase the chances of a similar event happening at Elland Road.
Hopefully, March’s fixture will go off without a hitch, but at the moment, it feels as though Sky Sports and the EFL have made a disgraceful call that could make a rod for their own back.
In other Leeds United news, Joel Piroe has revealed why he turned down Premier League interest for Elland Road last summer
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