Fixture change vexes Chelsea

PREMIER LEAGUE: CHELSEA HAVE reacted furiously to the Premier League's decision to bring their match at Everton forward by 48 hours next month to be broadcast live on television. The move will "undermine the sporting integrity of the competition" by favouring their title rivals, they insist.

Avram Grant's team are due to face Wigan on Monday, April 14th, to be screened on Setanta Sports, and will now have to play at Goodison Park only three days later in a match to be shown live on Sky Sports. They will have a warm-down session on the Tuesday and light training and travel on the Wednesday - only two days between potentially crucial fixtures, whereas Manchester United and Arsenal have five days between their own games.

Complaints have been registered with senior officials at the Premier League, Chelsea having made representation "to the highest level". The league insisted last night that, given the various pressures under which it is operating, the date was "the fairest that could be achieved", but that will do little to placate the London club, who have not ruled out the possibility of taking legal action to restore the fixture to its original date.

"Chelsea are extremely disappointed with the announcement today regarding the Everton fixture," confirmed a spokesman. "We believe the decision to hold the match on Thursday, April 17th, undermines the sporting integrity of the competition by giving our rivals for the Premier League title an unnecessary competitive advantage at a critical time of the season, with more recovery time from their previous match and preparation time for their next fixture when we have to play two games during the same period."

United will host Arsenal in front of the TV cameras on Sunday, April 13th, and the two clubs will not play again until the following Saturday, against Blackburn Rovers and Reading respectively.

© 2008 Guardian Service

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times