Have the Premier League fixtures been LEAKED?
Have the Premier League fixtures been LEAKED? Document appears to show the first round of fixtures in a bundle… but key detail hints it could be a hoax
- Fixtures for the 2023-24 Premier League season will be revealed on Thursday
- Nonetheless, a Twitter account claimed to ‘leak’ the opening fixtures today
- Fans were quickly doubtful of its veracity – with one game sounding the alarm
Premier League fans were sent into a frenzy when a leaked image on Twitter appeared to reveal the first round of matches for the 2023-24 season – but a key detail looks to have given the game away.
The fixtures for the new season will be made public at 9am BST on Thursday June 15, but fans thought they have caught an official out when a cropped photo showed a document entitled ‘PRESS EMBARGO: STRICTLY NOT FOR RELEASE BEFORE 09:00 BST 15 JUNE 2023’.
It showed champions Manchester City starting away at Burnley and Manchester United at home to Brighton – but it was Luton Town’s game which suggested the document was in fact a hoax.
The newly promoted Hatters could be forced to play as many as their first three matches away from Kenilworth Road with concerns over the length of time to make improvements to the stadium.
To meet league requirements, Luton are improving the Bobbers Stand at Kenilworth Road to comply, and the BBC is reporting that the Premier League is in discussions with the club as to whether they can play at home in the first few weeks.
A document claiming to show the opening Premier League fixtures for the 2023-24 season appeared online – but one key detail soon had fans convinced that the ‘leak’ is a hoax
Brighton were slated to play away at Manchester United on the document – but it was another team’s match-up that raised questions as to the veracity of the posed listing
The leaked document shows Luton at home on the first weekend against Liverpool – which would prove implausible at this current juncture.
‘There is a schedule of about 11-12 weeks of work that has got to be done,’ Mick Harford told the BBC.
‘It might become a bit of a problem, so we will probably have to play maybe two or three games away from home at the start of the Premier League season.’
It will cost Luton close to £10million to knock down the old Bobbers Stand, which was turned into executive boxes in 1986, running down one side of the pitch, and replace it with new facilities including a media centre, TV and data analysis studios, toilets and a canteen.
Luton also plan to install some new seating for fans and may be able to increase the capacity slightly at the ground, which has been home to the club since it first opened in 1905.
Luton’s stadium issues mean that it is highly improbable that the leak is accurate, with Fulham against Arsenal, Tottenham against Newcastle and Sheffield United against Aston Villa as other standout opening games on the ‘leaked’ document.
Luton are set to demolish and rebuild an entire stand in one summer after securing promotion – but it could mean they need to play the first couple of games after promotion on the road
Liverpool are in a similar situation where work being undertaken on Anfield means they will need to play their opening match on the road.
Work, which began in September 2021, is on course to be finished this summer on the £80m redevelopment and will add around 7,000 extra seats, taking Anfield’s overall capacity to more than 61,000.
But Liverpool have asked for next season’s opening match to be played away from home to allow preparations to be completed.
With test events and potential additional work required on the pitch as a result of the building work, Liverpool are looking to buy themselves more time to ensure everything is ready to open on the second weekend of the new campaign.
The club made a similar request to the Premier League when they completed the new Main Stand in 2016.
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