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Can the Saturday afternoon block survive?

Today is Non-League Day and I am going to a match at my local club in Tier 2 of the pyramid, Leamington FC. I would go even if it wasn't non-league day.

Ever since the 1950s there has been a block on showing live games on television on Saturday afternoons with the objective of protecting attendances and amateur clubs. But in the face of modern technology, determined individuals and competitor leagues, can this practice be maintained?

The latest threat comes from a plan to show live La Liga games in the UK on Saturday afternoons. The company behind the plan is Eleven Sports, owned by Andrea Radrizzani, who also owns Leeds United. He claims that betting sites and illegal sites are already showing the games live. Radrizzani is also in discussions with Serie A about showing Italian games during the blackout, too.

Joris Evers, La Liga’s chief communications officer, told The Times: 'This type of blackout doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. It’s from a different age. We are aware of what Eleven Sports are doing and generally support them. People are used to watching things whenever and wherever they take place, on whatever devices they like.'

The Premier League has protested to the FA, which has taken the matter up with Uefa, although it has yet to lodge an official complaint.

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