Classic Jorge
04-17-2014, 11:09 AM
Arsene Wenger has hit out at Sky for the way Arsenal’s game against Hull City was moved this weekend.
The fixture was originally scheduled for this Saturday, but after Chelsea’s progress in the Champions League, Sky shifted things around to provide Roman Abramovich’s club more time to prepare for their Gazprom sponsored semi-final against Atletico Madrid.
It means that thousands of Arsenal fans, who had booked train tickets, hotels and more, were inconvenienced with just eight days notice and Wenger says the Gunners have never been accommodated like that by the broadcasters.
“We never got any help on that front. Never,” he said. “There is no written rule. When you speak to the Premier League, it is not the Premier League. It is the television companies who help. It is not the Premier League.
“The television companies decide who plays when and some clubs have maybe better introductions with television companies. We never had and we never tried to influence the decision of Sky or any other company.
“If you want to know more, you look at the teams who have been protected since the start of the season and the teams who had the biggest rest between games. You will see and you come to your own conclusions.
“I don’t question the objectivity of the television companies but sometimes their choices don’t look very rational.
“I told you what I think about Chelsea – it is not my problem. If you want an objective view – just make your analysis between Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City, Man United and all the other teams who play in the Champions League and you will come to your own conclusions.”
The Arsenal fans who have been messed around have little or no comeback and although TV’s influence over the fixture schedules is all too obvious, there has to be some consideration for the people who are, as the mawkish television ads would tell you, the soul of the game.
The fixture was originally scheduled for this Saturday, but after Chelsea’s progress in the Champions League, Sky shifted things around to provide Roman Abramovich’s club more time to prepare for their Gazprom sponsored semi-final against Atletico Madrid.
It means that thousands of Arsenal fans, who had booked train tickets, hotels and more, were inconvenienced with just eight days notice and Wenger says the Gunners have never been accommodated like that by the broadcasters.
“We never got any help on that front. Never,” he said. “There is no written rule. When you speak to the Premier League, it is not the Premier League. It is the television companies who help. It is not the Premier League.
“The television companies decide who plays when and some clubs have maybe better introductions with television companies. We never had and we never tried to influence the decision of Sky or any other company.
“If you want to know more, you look at the teams who have been protected since the start of the season and the teams who had the biggest rest between games. You will see and you come to your own conclusions.
“I don’t question the objectivity of the television companies but sometimes their choices don’t look very rational.
“I told you what I think about Chelsea – it is not my problem. If you want an objective view – just make your analysis between Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City, Man United and all the other teams who play in the Champions League and you will come to your own conclusions.”
The Arsenal fans who have been messed around have little or no comeback and although TV’s influence over the fixture schedules is all too obvious, there has to be some consideration for the people who are, as the mawkish television ads would tell you, the soul of the game.