Premier League managers have received a gagging order on speaking out on the controversial pay-per-view deal in action this weekend.
The new plan to charge fans £14.95 to watch a game of football on television will be in action this weekend.
Matches not originally picked for TV will require fans to stump up the cash.
The first game to broadcast on the service will be Chelsea’s clash against Southampton at 3 pm on Saturday.
Manchester United’s visit to Newcastle later that day will also require fans to pay up.
But managers have been told they cannot talk out about the new plans, whether they agree to its inception or not.
According to the Daily Mail, the Premier League has written to all 20 clubs telling them that first-team coaches should avoid the topic if questioned.
Instead, they have insisted they should demand fans be returned to empty stadiums as soon as possible.
Leicester were the only Premier League club to vote against the measures brought in.
Managers are likely to have a variety of opinions on the Premier League’s plan, while most fans are unanimous in their verdict.
It has been seen as opportunistic, greedy and downright immoral to demand supporters pay more money to watch their team during a time of financial uncertainty.
With many already forking out to pay subscriptions to Sky and BT Sport, the added costs – seen as extremely excessive, at that – are likely to drive more people away than bring them in.
How the added revenue is yet to be decided between clubs, which is likely set to spur a major debate.
Some of the fee will be paid to broadcasters Sky and BT Sport, while the Premier League’s Top Six are demanding a bigger share.
They argue that they will bring in more neutral fans to watch but without any detailed proposals, it remains to be seen how the income will be divided up.
