BOXING CLEVER NOT FOR EVERYONE

Premier League festive schedule is up in the air due to calendar

- BY JEREMY CROSS

SANTA PAUSE Fans usually enjoy Boxing Day Premier League games but may not this year

THE Premier League is bracing itself for a backlash from fuming fans after it emerged the Boxing Day fixtures will be decimated.

In a break with tradition, calendar pressures mean there could be just one topflight fixture in England this year.

The outcome is down to a number of factors, including Boxing Day falling on a Friday, a more congested fixture programme due to UEFA staging expanded competitions and the FA Cup switching exclusively to weekends.