'That will be the end' - Jeff Stelling fumes at EFL rule change that could affect Sunderland and Leeds United

Jeff Stelling has delivered a scathing verdict on proposed changes to English football’s current Saturday broadcasting blackout period that could affect the likes of Sunderland, Leeds United, and their EFL rivals.

As things stand, broadcasters are not permitted to show any fixtures that kick off at 3pm - a rule that has been in place since 1960, and that was primarily introduced to protect match attendances. The United Kingdom remains the only region of Europe that still upholds such restrictions, but according to reports, they could be brought to an end in the relatively near future.

An update from the Daily Mail states that the blackout may be scrapped by the beginning of the 2029/30 campaign, with the Premier League pushing for a change “thanks largely to a slowing in precious TV revenues”. It is said that there is a “growing belief” that showing more matches would lead to an increase in financial benefits when the next round of negotiations begin over broadcasting rights for both the top flight and the EFL. It is also suggested that television companies are eager to combat the rise of illegal streaming.

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The potential move has been met with some scepticism, however, with Football League bosses concerned that 3pm broadcasts could contribute to a trend that has already seen a drop off in midweek ticket sales during winter months, as well season tickets writ large.

And Stelling is unconvinced by the prospect of the blackout being revoked too. Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: "So the headline should read, 'Greedy Premier League, it's all about us. You lot, you can go and do one, we don't care about you'.

"There's no point in comparing it with European leagues for a start because football in England, the pyramid, is totally different. In this country, people care about teams in the Championship, in League One, in League Two, in the National League. It seems the Premier League don't care at all and frankly, the fact that the Premier League or whoever it is, are saying that they're worried about illegal streaming, so what?

"Tell the TV companies to cut the price of subscriptions and that will stop people streaming things illegally instead. They've got to start to look after the lower league sides. If Grimsby are playing Morecambe, Saturday afternoon and it's cold, wet and miserable, and Manchester United against Manchester City is on TV live at 3pm, how many people are going to go to Grimsby against Morecambe? I can tell you how many: a big, fat zero, and that will be the end of clubs at a lower level."