Shamrock Rovers 'disappointed' Europa League play-off game will not be on free to air TV

Kenneth Fox

Shamrock Rovers FC said they are "disappointed" their UEFA Europa League play-off game against Greek champions, PAOK FC will not be on free to air TV.

The Dublin outfit said negotiations have concluded, meaning Rovers fans will be able to live stream the first leg from the Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki on Thursday, with kick-off at 6:30 pm.

The second leg at Tallaght Stadium on August 29th will also be available on the LOITV platform and available worldwide, excluding Greece and Cyprus.

Shamrock Rovers are guaranteed at least group stage football in the Europa Conference League.

Their usual commentary team of Con and Barry will supply match commentary on the LOITV platform.

In a statement released on Monday, Shamrock Rovers said: "The club exhausted every avenue across the four rounds of European matches to deliver matches on a free to air National broadcaster, but to no avail.

"It has been a disappointment that these thrilling games have not been showcased to a wider Irish audience; the drama of a last minute penalty miss in our first home tie advancing the team to Champions Qualifying round two.

"They missed 9,500 fans packed into Tallaght Stadium for a great match against Sparta Prague, and, finally, the turnaround from an away first leg loss to beat Celje in extra time to make the UECL League phase (at a minimum). And now, the visit of PAOK will not be broadcast on terrestrial Irish TV.

"The club is considering whether it will facilitate any future requests from the National broadcaster to show SSE Airtricity Premier Division fixtures from Tallaght Stadium in 2024."