In the words of Bob Dylan: the times they are changin’.
A line that almost certainly had nothing to do with Uefa fiddling about with the kick-off times of its Champions League matches in order to make more money out of TV deals.
Still, that’s exactly what’s on the horizon given the latest word from European football’s governing body.
Currently, Champions League matches kick-off at 19.45 UK time, with a few exceptions when it comes to games played in places like Russia.
However, from the start of the 2018-19 season, the existing schedule will be replaced by a format similar to that currently used in the Europa League. It will see some matches kicking off at 18.00 with others kicking off at 20.00, boosting international viewing figures for each match.
Throughout the competition’s group stages, two matches per night will be played in the earlier slot, leaving the remaining six games to be played at 20.00.
Uefa will continue with the new kick-off times until the end of the 2020-2021 season, when it will conduct a review.
While earlier kick off times are great news for those watching on the telly, it doesn’t work out too well if you’re hoping to get to a game straight after finishing work.
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