Sir Keir Starmer, a man who has the power to launch nuclear submarines but apparently not to make a football match free on TV, has written a strongly worded letter to TNT Sports demanding they make next Saturday's Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris St-Germain free-to-air.
Every previous final since the Champions League format was introduced in 1992 has been available for free in the UK. TNT, which acquired the rights after Warner Bros Discovery bought and rebranded BT Sport, decided this year would be different. The final, along with the Europa League and Conference League finals, now requires a subscription to HBO Max starting at £4.99 per month.
Starmer, an Arsenal fan who is clearly not above mixing business with pleasure, wrote: "I was saddened to see that, for the first time since the competition started 34 years ago, TNT Sports has decided that [the fixture] will not be free to watch for football supporters here in the UK." He added, with the subtlety of a corner flag, "Obviously, I want as many fellow fans as possible to be able to watch our team in this historic final for the first time in 20 years. However, this is bigger than that."
TNT Sports responded with the corporate equivalent of a shrug, noting that fans can watch all three finals for "just £4.99" via a month-long HBO Max subscription, which they called "exceptional value." The company did not address the fact that the previous government rejected a House of Lords proposal to add the final to the "crown jewels" free-to-air list in 2018, or that BT Sport had previously streamed finals on YouTube for free.
Fans who missed Aston Villa's Europa League win last week already needed a subscription, and the same will apply for Wednesday's Conference League final between Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano. From 2027-28, TNT will lose its European rights to Paramount+ (Champions League) and Sky Sports (Europa and Conference leagues), so this particular battle may be moot soon. In the meantime, highlights of the final will appear on the BBC Sport website 15 minutes after the trophy lift, and live commentary will be on BBC Radio 5 Live. Arsenal, who have never won the Champions League, were confirmed as Premier League champions earlier this week - giving fans at least one reason to celebrate without a credit card.