Tottenham’s Boxing Day fixture fate all-but revealed amid outrage over Crystal Palace showdown
Tottenham’s trip to Crystal Palace could be the only Premier League fixture played on Boxing Day this year.
Due to broadcasting agreements and the fact that 26 December falls on a Friday, only one Premier League game will be permitted to take place outside of the weekend.
Understandably, football purists in the UK are annoyed with the decision, as watching top-flight football either in the flesh or at home with your family has been a staple of the British game as long as many of us remember.
In fact, this year will see the fewest top-flight Boxing Day fixtures played since World War II.
Spurs lost to Crystal Palace both times they played them last season – but at least Thomas Frank and co could be avenging those defeats in front of a football-deprived nation this Christmas.
London derby could be only Premier League fixture on Boxing Day
As it stands, Tottenham head to Selhurst Park on 27 December, with no Premier League fixtures currently scheduled for 26 December.
The league’s chiefs will soon announce the game that’s being played the day after Christmas, and it’s likely going to be a game where clubs’ players, staff and fans won’t have to travel too far.
Tottenham’s training ground Hotspur Way is roughly a 30-mile trip, while most Spurs fans inside the city will face much shorter journeys than football fans elsewhere in the country for this away day.
If Spurs’ game does move to 26 December, they’ll have the chance to win on Boxing Day for the first time in four years.
TalkSPORT journalist Alex Crook is well-informed about the situation that’s developing at Premier League headquarters and he’s revealed that Palace versus Spurs is a prime contender for Boxing Day broadcast.
Speaking on talkSPORT on 27 October, Crook said: “What we don’t know at this stage is what game will be brought forward for that Friday television slot.
“There is a possibility, I think it may be Palace against Tottenham, obviously two London sides meeting, Brentford against Bournemouth is another where fans won’t have to travel too far, because of course there are no trains on Boxing Day.”
West Ham and Fulham are also set to play each other at the London Stadium during that gameweek, so there’s also the possibility that game is played on Boxing Day, with Crystal Palace versus Spurs being scheduled on either the Saturday or Sunday.
What football fans are saying about Premier League’s Boxing Day debacle
It’s safe to say that a lot of football fans are fuming with the change.
There are some really good fixtures that are set to take place in matchday 18, such as Man United versus Newcastle, Sunderland versus Leeds and the two aforementioned London derby games.
Current matchday 18 fixtures that are scheduled for 27 December:
- Crystal Palace vs Tottenham
- Arsenal vs Brighton
- Burnley vs Everton
- Brentford vs Bournemouth
- Chelsea vs Aston Villa
- Liverpool vs Wolves
- Man United vs Newcastle
- Nottm Forest vs Man City
- Sunderland vs Leeds
- West Ham vs Fulham
With the news emerging over the last 24 hours that Premier League football on Boxing Day is being eroded to the point of non-existence, football fans have been airing their concerns about the failure to uphold the traditions of the game.
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