FA Cup final kick-off moved after BBC and ITV clash as new start time announced
FA Cup final kick-off moved after BBC and ITV clash as new start time announced
The final is set to start at a completely new time following extensive talks
The FA Cup final will kick-off at a completely new time this weekend
(Image: The FA via Getty Images )
This weekend's FA Cup final will kick off at a completely new time after the BBC and ITV clashed over scheduling.
Manchester City and Crystal Palace will battle it out for the iconic trophy at Wembley Stadium on Saturday (May 17) with both teams looking to end their season on a high. City are targeting their second piece of silverware after winning the Community Shield at the start of the campaign, while Palace are looking to win their first ever major trophy having previously lost in two FA Cup finals.
Pep Guardiola's side lost out to rivals Manchester United in last year's final which, like the one before that, kicked off at the traditional time of 3pm.
However, this year's final will get underway at 4.30pm, with the new time agreed earlier this month following collaboration between City, Palace, broadcasters, police, local authorities and the Safety Advisory Group.
The Sun reports that the BBC and ITV had been at odds over the kick-off time, with the former pushing for the game to start in the traditional 3pm slot, due to fears over their coverage clashing with the Eurovision Song Contest later that evening.
However, ITV are understood to have wanted a 5.30pm kick-off in order to maximise their potential audience and advertising demand.
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But with more than 7.5 million people tuning in to the song contest in the UK last year, the BBC were reportedly desperate to avoid a clash, which would have happened if the game had gone ahead at 5.30pm.
The BBC's Eurovision coverage is due to start at 8pm, with the new kick-off time ensuring that there will be no clash even in the event that the match goes to extra-time or penalties.
It is the first time that the FA Cup final has kicked off at 4.30pm, with a range of different start times being agreed in recent years.
The 2022 final between Chelsea and Liverpool was forced to start at 4:45pm, again due to a scheduling clash with Eurovision.
For the 2021 and 2020 finals, the kick-off time was 5.15pm and 5.30pm respectively.
Saturday's showdown at Wembley will be City's third successive appearance in an FA Cup final, having faced Manchester United in both the 2023 and 2024 finals.
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They booked their place in the final with a 2-0 semi-final win over Nottingham Forest last month, with Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol getting on the scoresheet.
Meanwhile, Palace are hoping to cause an upset to lift the FA Cup for the first time, with a goal from Eberechi Eze and an Ismaila Sarr brace seeing them ease past Aston Villa in a 3-0 semi-final win.
It is their first appearance in the final since they lost out to Manchester United in the 2016 final, when Jesse Lingard's extra-time strike broke Alan Pardew's side's hearts.
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