Chelsea’s hopes of silverware this season are in danger of being sunk by the Titanic. The Blues have been caught in the middle of a TV ratings war, which has forced Roberto Di Matteo’s side to play their two biggest games of the season within 72 hours of each other. Chelsea are “angry” at being told to play Tottenham in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Sunday April 15 at 6pm – and then face a potential Champions League showdown with mighty Barcelona on Wednesday, April 18. Chelsea’s original request for the FA to switch the game to Friday was rejected. Instead ITV plan to screen the tie in a prime-time slot to capture viewers they hope will stay tuned for the final part of their blockbuster mini-series Titanic. Mirror Sport can reveal that ITV actually wanted to broadcast the Liverpool v Everton semi-final, but dropped the idea when it became clear that game had to be played in the lunchtime slot on Saturday, which is not good for ratings. Liverpool have made it clear since reaching the semi-final that they would only play on the Saturday, because the following day is the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster. Potential train problems for fans returning to Merseyside and a clash with the Grand National – ironically taking place in Liverpool – meant the Saturday game needed an early kick-off. Chelsea interim manager Di Matteo said: “We are disappointed and angry. “ITV have their reasons and I don’t want to go into details. Ultimately, we have to respect them. “But look at the other federations in Europe. They give you the best possible preparation. This year we’re looking at just one club left in the quarter-finals of any European competition. It doesn’t reflect well on England, the Premier League or the FA. “It’s in everybody’s interest for clubs to get further in the competition – the Premier League and the clubs, for UEFA coefficient points to make sure we have four teams in the Champions League in the future. “It does make a big difference, absolutely, that extra 24 hours.” Di Matteo’s frustration was understandable and there may be internal discussions over how much co-operation Chelsea choose to give ITV, who would also broadcast the club’s possible Champions League semi-final. Fans travelling down to London from Merseyside face either dawn starts or expensive overnight stays ahead of the Everton v Liverpool match, which kicks off at 12.30pm on April 14 and will be shown on ESPN. Toffees boss David Moyes said: “I’ve never been a great fan of FA Cup semi-finals being at Wembley “Semi-finals would be great at neutral grounds. That’s what the history of the FA Cup has been about – semi-finals at venues like Maine Road and so on. “If you ask the TV people, they’d have probably wanted it starting at half five. Maybe the police have wanted an early kick-off. But it makes travelling arrangements harder for a lot of people.” http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Chelsea-FA-Cup-and-Champions-League-hopes-in-danger-from-TV-ratings-war-article884846.html
