The Scottish Greens have called for Saturday’s Premiership clash between Rangers and Celtic to be made free to watch on TV.
Remarkably, despite falling in mid-October, the fixture will be the first Old Firm clash of 2020 and concerns are mounting in the build-up to kick-off.
Recently introduced restrictions which closed pubs and restaurants in Scotland’s Central Belt for two weeks ensure that unless supporters have access to Sky Sports, they will not be able to watch the match.
Fans have already been warned against congregating in houses or crossing the border into England in order to watch along in a pub [BBC].
Now, the Scottish Greens have proposed a radical broadcast solution to reduce the motivation for some fans to break the current guidelines.
“I’m confident the overwhelming majority of people will continue to follow the rules as they have throughout this crisis, but broadcasting the game free to air would allow everyone to watch at home, reducing the risk of people heading out to watch the game and spreading the virus,” said Alison Johnstone MSP, as quoted by BBC Scotland.
The Scottish Government reportedly see this as an interesting proposal but have stressed that the decision lies with Sky Sports [BBC].
Scottish Greens call for Rangers vs Celtic clash to be made free on TV – Verdict
There’s certainly some logic to this call from the point of view of reducing the risk of rules being flouted this weekend.
However, Sky Sports outmuscled the competition to gain exclusive rights to the Scottish Premiership in a new deal which began this season, with Old Firm clashes by far the most-watched fixtures in the competition.
Given the substantial period during which there were no fixtures whatsoever due to the footballing shutdown and the fact that this is the first derby in almost 10 months, it’s a big ask for the broadcaster to make the game free, especially at such late notice.
It seems highly unlikely Sky Sports will make the gesture and it’s hard to blame them, considering any supporter without a subscription will be able to access the match via a Now TV day pass for less than £10.
