The outdated laws preventing football from being shown on TV in Britain on Saturday afternoons will once again affect Spanish football being shown live.
The law against showing football on television in Britain between 15:00 and 17:15 means that, once again, viewers in Britain will miss the first 15 minutes of the biggest game in European football – Real Madrid v FC Barcelona.
The rule is meant to protect attendances at British grounds, but the all-encompassing wording of the rule means that no football can be shown live on TV, regardless of the nation of origin.
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There is debate over whether the rule should still apply, even to British football. The fact that it applies to football from overseas is clearly ridiculous
What this means is that Spain’s 17.00 kick-offs, which are shown on Sky Sports, are only able to be shown from the 15 minute mark.
The pundits sit in the studio, counting the minutes down and chatting about the game which they are clearly watching off screen, while hoping that nothing exciting happens early on.
Regular viewers of La Liga are used to the farcical scenes, but British viewers who only tune in to Spanish football to watch El Clasico are surprised when they only join the action midway through the first half.
Luis Suarez is unlikely to start for Barcelona, given their attacking talent and the fact that he has not played in months, so British fans will probably get to see his first competitive football since the 2014 World Cup.