Lesya » 04 апр 2012, 19:43
Я так понимаю, у нас есть небольшое преимущество...
Source: Guardian
• FA will not budge even for Champions League semi-final
• Cup semi three days before possible game against Barcelona
Chelsea have no chance of persuading the Football Association to bring forward the 6pm kick-off time for Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley. The governing body is adamant that the match will go ahead as planned, irrespective of whether Roberto Di Matteo's side defeat Benfica in their Champions League quarter-final, the second leg of which is on Wednesday night.
Should Chelsea go through in that match at Stamford Bridge – they lead 1-0 from the first leg – they will face Barcelona in a Champions League semi-final three days after the Tottenham tie, giving them little time to recover before what would be their most important game of the season.
The scheduling of the semi-finals has proved more difficult this year. Chelsea are unable to meet Spurs on Saturday because Liverpool have been granted dispensation not to play on 15 April, which marks the 23rd anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, and will play Everton on 14 April.
Di Matteo suggested that one solution would be to play their semi-final against Spurs on Friday night while Chelsea have lobbied for an earlier kick-off on Sunday, which they believe would also reduce the risk of any trouble between rival supporters because there would be less drinking time available before the match.
The FA, however, maintains that a "collective decision" has been made and that there is no possibility of the plans that are in place changing. Although that remains the FA's stance, the suspicion is that ITV, who will broadcast Sunday's semi-final live and were determined to secure a primetime slot and avoid clashing with Sky Sports' 4pm Premier League match between Manchester United and Aston Villa at Old Trafford, have managed to convince the FA to bow to their demands.