The answer is not complicated. The World Hockey Championship in the Czech Republic and the match of the home team, which is playing in Prague against the Norwegians from 8:20 p.m.
And the football hit adapts to hockey players. “Primarily it is due to the hockey championship being held in Prague and Ostrava,” nods David Solnař, spokesman for O2 TV, which broadcasts the football league. “We wanted to accommodate the fans so that there would be a minimum of overlaps with attractive matches of the Czech national team.”
Sure, a shift of half an hour doesn’t seem quite dramatic. Rather, it is a matter of trivia and interest. But the reaction from the television will be interesting, because the possible concurrence of the football league and the Czech hockey players could theoretically be threatened on the last Sunday in May, when the league and the championship are at their peak.
The duels of the extension group for the title kick off at 4:00 p.m. Hockey medals will be played from 15.20 and 20.20.
“Even for the last round of the extension part, we are working with the fact that if the Czech hockey team makes it to the match for gold or bronze, after mutual agreement with the clubs and the LFA, we are ready to offer modified time slots,” informs Solnař for O2 TV.
The sports audience at the screen will probably cheer, but the question is whether it would even be feasible. The times are not set by the broadcaster but by the LFA in cooperation with them, the clubs or the police. The times of the May kick-off are already published, tickets are on sale. The start of one match would not be adjusted, but three overtime duels, as the last round must be played at the same time.
With more than two weeks in advance, theoretically, the correction could perhaps still be made. The considerations are complicated by the fact that it would have to happen quite quickly. The participation of Czech hockey players in the medal fights will be clear after the quarter-finals, which are scheduled for May 23. And only Saturday’s semifinal would determine when the Czechs will start on Sunday.
“The date of the last round was communicated and approved by all entities well in advance, and it is not possible to change it just a few days before the planned kick-off,” LFA spokesman Pavel Jahoda confirms. “A number of pre-arranged necessary measures, such as the participation of the police, firefighters or security, are tied to the specified time, which cannot be simply moved.”
However, the hockey championship has a minor influence on the league program.
Don’t forget the Sparta – Slavia derby. Saturday, already from 5.30 p.m.
Tags: derby moved World Cup hockey Television offers times league
