BBC make late offer to UEFA to televise England's Under-21 European Championship final vs Spain
The BBC have reportedly made a last-ditch offer to UEFA to televise England Under-21s' European Championship final against Spain on Saturday
The BBC has reportedly made a last-ditch offer to UEFA to televise England’s Under-21 Euros final against Spain.
Lee Carsley’s side has been impressive in reaching the final in Georgia, but their success has gone largely under the radar so far this season.
This is due to all of England’s games being streamed on UEFA’s website and shown on the FA’s YouTube channel, seeing none of the games televised after an agreement was failed to be reached prior to the tournament.
But the last-minute attempt by the BBC could see England’s first appearance in an U21 final for 14 years against Spain on Saturday at 5pm televised.
According to the Daily Mail, the BBC’s proposal would see the game shown on the red button with the broadcaster already showing Wimbledon and highlights on the third Ashes Test at Headingley.
They claim that although conversations are ongoing, it is unclear as of yet whether the BBC’s offer will be accepted.
The BBC has a history of broadcasting England’s youth games and recently bought the rights to England’s under-17 and under-20 World Cup finals in recent years.
England’s U21 Euro campaign has been spotless to date after they beat the Czech Republic, Israel and Germany all 2-0 in the group stage. Before an Anthony Gordon goal edged them to a 1-0 victory over Portugal in the quarterfinals.
Israel was swept aside again in the semi-finals via goals from Morgan Gibbs-White, Cole Palmer and Cameron Archer in the 3-0 win, also seeing Burnley-bound James Trafford yet to concede a goal in the tournament.
It’s sure to be an exciting final with Spain the highest scoring nation in the tournament, scoring three more than England to date, after beating Ukraine 5-1 in their semi-final with Manchester City’s Sergio Gomez among the scorers.
Santi Denia’s side also boasts Liverpool target Gabri Veiga and Oihan Sancet who Barcelona has a keen eye on in their engine room. City’s Gomez and Braga striker Abel Ruiz are also joint top scorers in the competition with three goals each.