Leeds 'reluctantly' allows Sky cameras into Elland Road for Derby fixture

The fixture will be televised.

On Tuesday, Leeds United published a statement regarding its Championship match against Derby County on the same day, announcing that the club "reluctantly" allowed Sky cameras into Elland Road to broadcast the game while calling out the Football League for unfair prejudice.

Leeds had barred cameras from entering Elland Road in protest of the number of its fixtures that have been changed for television, with the match against Derby marking the ninth alteration to the club's schedule.

According to Jamie Jackson of the Guardian, Massimo Cellino, the owner of Leeds who was recently cleared of tax evasion in Italy, made the decision to allow Sky cameras into the stadium at around 2 p.m. local time, just before Sky's own cutoff point regarding the time required to prepare for broadcasting.

From Leeds' official website:

Leeds United have reluctantly allowed Sky cameras into Elland Road to broadcast tonight's fixture against Derby County.

Leeds United have noted that the majority of press reports on the matter have quite rightly appreciated that the club's issues with the Football League relate in part to the entirely disproportionate number of times Sky have selected the club for live transmission.

It is not just the number of times the club has been selected, but the fact the adjoining fixtures are also then disrupted which adversely affects the players, the club's logistical arrangements and the fans' arrangements. It is clear to the club that its key supporters, the season ticket holders, have also had enough of this constant alteration, often at short notice, to the fixture list to accommodate Sky.

In a statement, the Football League announced Leeds would be charged with misconduct if the club banned Sky from broadcasting the game.

"Under Football League regulations, clubs are required to provide access to the League's broadcasting partners for the purpose of setting up and filming any matches that are selected for transmission," a Football League spokesman said, according to BBC Sport.

Leeds responded to the statement in emphatic fashion, pointing out that Sky is to show 92 live fixtures this season - four home matches per club - and writing: "It is to be noted that the League threaten a disrepute charge against the club. It is the League who are bringing their own competition into disrepute by unfairly prejudicing Leeds (and certain other clubs) by allowing Sky to unfairly disrupt Leeds United for their own commercial purposes."