Keith Hackett shocked by Coventry v Leeds situation – ‘It doesn’t make sense’
Keith Hackett is baffled about why Sky Sports wouldn’t show Leeds United’s win over Coventry City in the Championship on Wednesday night.
Leeds went five points clear at the top of the table with a routine victory at the CBS Arena thanks to goals by Joel Piroe and Jayden Bogle.
However, Leeds fans in the UK were unable to watch the game unless they made the 234-mile round-trip to the West Midlands in freezing night-time temperatures in February.
Sky Sports blocked from airing Coventry v Leeds
That’s because, due to the Saturday 3pm blackout, it wasn’t allowed to be broadcast on live television.
Initially, this game was scheduled to be played this weekend. However, after Leeds reached the FA Cup fourth round, the trip to Coventry was moved to this Wednesday night (5 February) but was protected under the same blackout rule.
Former PGMOL general manager Hackett doesn’t understand why the rule is still being enforced, especially for a midweek game in February.
“With such a long mid-week journey and given the position in the table of Leeds United, it just doesn’t make sense,” Hackett told MOT Leeds News.
“I appreciate that television broadcasters have schedules but nonetheless, it should be screened live.”
The UK is the only country in Europe to have a blackout for 3pm games on Saturdays.
It was put in place in the 1960s to ensure that fans wouldn’t stop attending matches in favour of watching ones from the comfort of their own home.
However, The Times reported in December that the blackout is “unlikely to survive beyond 2028/29” due to the increasing number of televised fixtures with the EFL considering not retaining it for their most recent deal with Sky Sports.
It’s also thought that the blackout encourages fans to watch matches in illegal ways.
Leeds’ match against Coventry was moved to Wednesday because, on Saturday, they’ll take on Millwall in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Elland Road.
Coventry are also still in the cup and will welcome Ipswich to the CBS Arena on the same day (8 February).
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