Furious Tottenham fans have asked the Football Association for an explanation after the club’s FA Cup third-round tie was scheduled for a Friday night, four days into the New Year.
Spurs’s match at either non-League part-timers Southport or League Two Tranmere Rovers has been picked for broadcast by BT Sport 2 and will be played at 7.45pm on January 4.
Supporters driving from London to Merseyside can expect a trip of at least four-and-a-half hours each way, while there are currently no trains back scheduled from either destination.
The game will come three days after Spurs’s trip to Cardiff for a 5.30pm kick-off in the Premier League on New Year’s Day. Kat Law of the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust said the broadcaster’s decision “beggars belief”.
“After putting the fans’ case to broadcasters and competition organisers for many years, it’s always disappointing when a TV pick is made at an inconvenient time, particularly for travelling fans,” Law told Standard Sport.
“But the scheduling of Tottenham Hotspur at Southport or Tranmere Rovers on the first Friday night of the New Year, three days after an evening match in Cardiff, with no public transport options home, beggars belief.
“It feels like a slap in the face for those long-suffering match-going fans, many of whom are having their patience severely tested this season. We have asked the FA for an explanation as to the rationale behind this selection.”
All three clubs have agreed to BT’s pick, which must also be approved by local police. Law added: “And we have questioned why the clubs cannot defend their fans’ interests by objecting to the scheduling. No doubt we will be told that taking the TV money means we must let the TV tail wag the football dog once again.’
