Man Utd playing bizarre fixture against Fulham after objecting to proposed kick-off time
MANCHESTER UNITED will take on Fulham at a bizarre fixture time in the Premier League.
The Red Devils will have to play against the Cottagers at a new time after objecting to one proposed kick-off time.
Manchester United will travel to Craven Cottage for their Premier League on January 26.
The match comes just days after their Europa League clash against Rangers at Old Trafford.
The club have rejected a proposed kick-off time of 12pm due to wanting more recovery time for players.
TNT Sports will televise the noon slot on Sundays, but it would have been only 62 hours after the match against the Scottish giants.
However, the 2pm and 4.30pm slots are already reserved for Sky Sports, leading to the bizarre kick-off time.
Manchester United will now take on Fulham at 7pm on the Sunday evening.
The slot was used for Chelsea‘s visit to Tottenham this weekend but only due to their club’s away matches in Europe on Thursday.
The Premier League has told clubs that the slot is supposed to only be a contingency option and not a regular one.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) has hit out at the Sunday evening fixtures and claimed it is “really unpopular” for fans.
This is due to the limitations on transport, which can make it unsuitable for families.
It is expected that Manchester United will offer travelling fans subsidised travel to Craven Cottage.
A FSA spokesman said: “The Sunday evening kick-off slot is really unpopular with match-goers as public transport options are limited and it’s no good for families with young kids.
“When the general slot was announced the Premier League told us it was a ‘contingency’ — but it seems to be getting used an awful lot for such a provision.
“A big part of the problem is allowing broadcasters to choose ‘conditional’ picks which are then moved when a team progresses in Europe.
“The Premier League puts broadcasters first by allowing them to select such games knowing full well conditional picks are very likely to be rescheduled again.”
Chelsea will have the slot this Sunday against Brentford due to their eight-hour flight back from Kazakhstan.
The Blues face Astana away in the Conference League while Spurs will also have the slot to play Southampton due to their Europa League to Rangers.