Leeds owner Massimo Cellino has taken the bizarre decision to ban Sky Sports from Elland Road.
Fans have complained in the past that too many Leeds games are shown live on TV, and so Cellino has instructed staff at Elland Road to not allow Sky Sports into the stadium ahead of the club’s televised game with Derby County on Tuesday.
Cellino believes the club’s attendances and commercial income are negatively affected by games being shown on live TV and apparently threatened staff with disciplinary action should they allow Sky Sports into the ground before leaving for a Christmas break in Miami.
According to The Daily Mirror, staff have been threatened with gross misconduct and could potentially lose their jobs for grant access to Sky Sports.
If Leeds hold firm in their refusal to allow the match to be broadcast live, it would represent a breach of the contract the Football League signed back in February.
UPDATE: Leeds United have ‘reluctantly’ allowed Sky access to the stadium and the broadcast will go ahead as planned.
A club statement read: ‘Leeds United have reluctantly allowed Sky cameras into Elland Road to broadcast tonight’s fixture against Derby County.
‘Leeds United have noted that the majority of press reports on the matter have quite rightly appreciated that the club’s issues with the Football League relate in part to the entirely disproportionate number of times Sky have selected the club for live transmission.
‘It is not just the number of times the club has been selected, but the fact the adjoining fixtures are also then disrupted which adversely affects the players, the club’s logistical arrangements and the fans’ arrangements.
‘It is clear to the club that its key supporters, the Season Ticket holders, have also had enough of this constant alteration, often at short notice, to the fixture list to accommodate Sky.’
