Leinster fans could be facing a chaotic trip to London, should the province reach the Champions Cup final on May 25th.
If they get past Northampton in their semi-final at Croke Park, Leinster will travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, where they will face either Toulouse or Harlequins.
The final is scheduled to take place at 2.45pm at the North London venue, and with the FA Cup final set for a 3pm kick-off just 12 miles away at Wembley, the Metropolitan Police could be faced with some massive crowd control issues.
Flight availability could also be an issue for Leinster fans, with plenty of football supporters from Ireland set to make the trip over to watch the FA Cup final on the same day.
Met Police facing cup final clash headache
For the second consecutive year, the FA Cup final will be an all-Manchester affair, after Manchester City and Manchester United booked their spots in the showpiece over the weekend. Owing to the intense rivalry between the two clubs, it has been reported that the police would prefer not to push the game back to an evening kick-off.
European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) are also said to be unwilling to shift the Champions Cup final to a later time due to a potential clash with French TV coverage of the Cannes Film Festival and the French Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon.
Last year's FA Cup final began at 3pm and it the Daily Mail are reporting that this will be the case for the 2024 edition.
Smashing through 6️⃣0️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ tickets 💫
It's set to be a phenomenal atmosphere at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the London Finals in May! 🏉
Secure your seat ⤵️— Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (@SpursStadium) April 15, 2024
Broadcasting issues add to the complications
There will also be headache for UK broadcasters, with ITV owning the rights to show both competitions. They are now likely to move the Champions Cup final over to ITV4, something which won't go down well with rugby authorities.
In Ireland, RTÉ's coverage of the Champions Cup final will likely be dwindled by people choosing to watch the FA Cup final on Premier Sports.
With two major sporting events taking place in the same city on the same day, and now likely at the same time, it seems like the situation hasn't been thought through by anyone in charge.
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