Sky Sports have handed Leicester the edge in the title race
For several weeks in a row, TV scheduling will mean Spurs will always be playing catch-up says Mark Jefferies
We all know that TV companies have a lot of clout in football these days.
For fans of big Premier League clubs, 3pm kick-offs on a Saturday have been a rarity for a long time and matches are brought forward to lunchtime, back to 5:30pm or moved to Sunday or Monday.
Following my team Manchester City, I’ve seen games moved more than once in recent years.
But I really think things have gone too far this season, and Sky have given Leicester City a helping hand to win the league.
With just a few games to go, the title is a two horse race between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
Leicester are five points ahead and last weekend they arguably had an advantage in playing first on Sunday, before Spurs played on Monday. It meant they had the opportunity to go further in front with their rivals playing catch up.
This weekend the same thing happens again. Leicester play Swansea on Sky Sports on Sunday and, if they win, go eight points clear. That then heaps pressure on Spurs who play on Monday against West Brom.
Ridiculously, the same thing happens for a third week in a row in the first weekend of May, with Leicester playing Sunday and Spurs on Monday for TV purposes.
The following week, Leicester play Saturday on TV but Spurs play a day later on Sunday, meaning the only time they will play at the same time will be on the last day of the season.
If anything, Spurs would love to play their games first before Leicester, to cut the gap and pile the pressure on the Foxes.
But instead, Leicester could have the title won before they actually go head-to-head on the last day of the season.
Spurs striker Harry Kane hinted at some annoyance after Monday’s game at Stoke when he said: “We always seem to be last to play,” but he also thinks his team can still hunt Leicester down to win the title.
I think it would be great for the Premier League if Leicester win it, but aren’t the fixtures being so much in their favour less of a level playing field?
Mark Jefferies is Showbiz Editor at the Daily Mirror