Why Man City vs Leeds is allowed to be shown on TV despite blackout rule

Manchester City continue their title charge against relegation threatened Leeds on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola is in pole position to lift his third successive Premier League trophy, knowing a win against Leeds would put Manchester City four points clear of second-placed Arsenal.

Meanwhile, Leeds are locked in a relegation scrap and will be hoping to cause an upset at the Etihad.

The contest will be Sam Allardyce's first game in charge after he was thrust into the hot seat to try and guide the Peacocks to Premier League safety.

But while the match will have huge ramifications at both ends of the table, It will also be the first time the 3pm blackout has been broken since the Covid-19 pandemic.

What is the 3pm blackout?

The 3pm blackout has been in place in the UK since the 1960s and prohibits matches in the Premier League, Football League and FA Cup from being shown live on TV in the UK between 2:45pm and 5:15pm.

The rule originally came into force to protect attendances at football grounds across the country.

Why is Man City vs Leeds allowed to be shown during the blackout?

The contest was initially scheduled for Sunday, May 7, but has since been moved forward by a day.

This is due to Manchester City's Champions League semi-final match against Real Madrid on Tuesday, May 9, which was deemed too close to the Leeds game.

The clash could not be moved to Saturday's 12:30 kick-off slot because it would clash with King Chales III's coronation.

While a later kick-off time on the Saturday has also been avoided due to a lack of police resourcing.

Therefore, the Premier League have agreed to broadcast the game during its traditional blackout hours at 3pm.

An official statement from the Premier League read: “With Manchester City visiting Real Madrid in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday 9 May, their home match with Leeds United has moved from Sunday 7 May to 15:00 BST on Saturday 6 May.

“The match will remain live on Sky Sports in the UK, subject to further consultation with relevant stakeholders regarding Article 48.

“The usual Saturday 12:30 BST UK live broadcast slot has been avoided so as not to clash with the King’s Coronation.

“A later kick-off is not possible due to police resourcing.”

Topics: Manchester City, Leeds United, Premier League, Football

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno