Some things in football feel like they should simply be protected.
The Champions League final; the biggest night in club football, free for anyone to watch.
That protection is gone.
And despite pressure from the Prime Minister and UEFA itself, nothing is changing before Saturday’s kickoff in Budapest.
Arsenal vs PSG Champions League final to remain paywalled as TNT Sports refuses to back down
According to the BBC, Arsenal’s historic Champions League final against PSG will not be available free to air, even after pressures from the Prime Minister.
This makes it the first time since the competition was launched in 1992 that supporters have had to pay to watch the showpiece event.
TNT Sports have shown no signs of changing their position despite growing pressure from multiple directions.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, himself an Arsenal supporter, wrote publicly last Saturday that he is “a firm believer that the final of this competition should remain free to watch.”
On Thursday, he went further, joining forces with the Football Supporters’ Association in a joint statement calling on TNT to reconsider.
However, it has made no difference.
UEFA is understood to be disappointed, and argued the final should remain free.
But the decision rests with the rights holder.
And Warner Bros Discovery, which rebranded BT Sport as TNT Sports, has chosen not to offer a free viewing option.
The final had been free on ITV from 1993, until BT Sport acquired the rights from 2015-16 onwards.
BT continued to simulcast finals on YouTube without charge until Warner Bros Discovery completed their acquisition and rebranded the service.
That era is now firmly over.
This is the third consecutive European final involving an English club to sit behind a paywall.
Six years ago, a House of Lords select committee proposed adding the Champions League final to the list of protected “crown jewels” events.
Which would have guaranteed it remained free to air. The government rejected that proposal.
The decision looks even more significant now.
For now, one of the most historic nights in English football history comes with a subscription fee attached.
And nobody with the power to change it has been able to do so.
Want to get the latest transfer news direct to your phone? Join our WhatsApp community by clicking here.
