The news that the Scottish Cup Final was being to a 5:30pm was met with widespread criticism when it was announced at the beginning of the month. Scotland’s end-of-season finale has traditionally enjoyed a 3pm kick-off time but in order to accommodate the FA Cup Final in England, kick-off was moved to its later slot on June 3rd.
SFA Chief Executive Ian Maxwell explained at the time, “We took the decision that the best thing was to delay the kick-off time to 5.30pm to give it the best opportunity to be seen across the UK.
“Our preference was for a 3pm kick-off time and it will always be for a 3pm kick-off time. For a Scottish Cup final there are a number of factors that need to be taken into account.”
But now, it seems that the cup final could face further disruption to Celtic fans watching at home if the FA Cup Final between Manchester United and Manchester City goes to extra time and penalties.
According to a report in Football Scotland, the BBC has said that the Scottish Cup Final will start on BBC Scotland and then move back to BBC One Scotland once the FA Cup final has been concluded.
This is not a good look for the BBC or the SFA, especially after the recent television scheduling for BBC One London looks like it refutes Maxwell’s claim that the time was moved to allow the final to be seen by a UK-wide audience.
It’s another slap in the face for our game as the BBC prioritises England’s showpiece final over Scotland’s. Although this recent update has no bearing on the actual kick-off time for the final, the message this latest update sends to the fans of both clubs and to Scottish football, in general, is not good.
In other news, Liel Abada hits brilliant Celtic milestone on Trophy Day
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