REVEALED: Why Man United vs Coventry FA Cup semi-final at Wembley has an unusual 3.30pm kick-off...

The team who emerges as victorious will face Manchester City in the final on May 25th. The game was broadcasted live on ITV with a surprising start time. Do you think Erik ten Hag should keep his position if he manages to win the FA Cup with Manchester United? Tune in to the It's All Kicking Off podcast to hear more.

Post time: 10:07 BST, 21st of April 2024 | Revised: 11:08 BST, 21st of April 2024

The FA Cup semi-final match between Manchester United and Coventry City, which everyone has been waiting for, is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at an uncommon kick-off time of 3.30pm.

The match at Wembley Stadium is going to determine the team that will go against Manchester City in the final on May 25th, following their 1-0 victory over Chelsea last Saturday, secured by Pep Guardiola's squad.

At first, The Football Association asked for a 4pm start time for the semi-final on Sunday. This would have been better for ITV, who are the broadcasters.

But, as reported by Mail Sport earlier in March, the kick-off time had to be changed to an earlier time by 30 minutes since the Metropolitan Police considered it to be a game with high risk.

The Met stated that they had public order worries, as they had recently amended their approach and now categorize any Wembley game featuring United or Liverpool as 'high-risk'.

On Sunday afternoon at 3.30pm, the second FA Cup semi-final match between Manchester United and Coventry City will take place at Wembley Stadium.

The unique start time was requested by the Metropolitan Police.

This caused a change in the schedule of the Carabao Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea in February, which had to be moved to a 3pm start time. This decision was not welcomed by the EFL.

Television viewership and advertising earnings increase with later starting times, especially for high-profile matches like the FA Cup semi-finals and finals, which have been moved to evening time slots in recent times.

The scheduled start time of 3.30pm is advantageous for supporters of United and Coventry. They will have more leeway to catch trains heading back to the northern region after the match.

The Metropolitan Police made the decision to change the time of the match's start, even though there wasn't much intense competition between United and Coventry. Their last encounter was during the Carling Cup back in 2007.

The two teams haven't faced each other in a league match since April 2001.

If there is a rematch of last year's game between the two Manchester teams, the FA Cup final may be rescheduled to start at 3pm due to a new regulation put in place by the police.

ITV, who have the rights to air rugby's Investec Champions Cup final at 2.45pm on the same day, would find it very aggravating if Amazon Prime Video moved the tennis match.

The European Rugby Cup Ltd cannot change the scheduled time for the kick-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. This would mean that ITV would have to show two major events happening at the same time on separate channels and they cannot adjust their coverage.

Man City emerged victorious with a 1-0 win over Chelsea in the semi-final showdown on Saturday, thanks to the winning goal by Bernardo Silva.

Erik ten Hag, who manages United, is feeling optimistic about the FA Cup, as he is battling to retain his job.

United has had a difficult season, and their performance in the league has often been unsatisfactory.

Coventry City, a club that won the championship in 1987, managed to have a very successful run in the FA Cup.

The final match of the Champions Cup is starting at 2.45pm so as not to conflict with the Cannes Film Festival or the League Cup football coverage in France.

Erik ten Hag, the manager of United, is placing his hopes on the FA Cup to protect his job, as new part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos are scrutinizing him more closely.

The chances of the Reds making it to the Champions League next season are getting slimmer as their inconsistent performance is hurting them, especially with England losing its fifth spot in the tournament.

Coventry's chances of qualifying for the Championship play-offs for the second year in a row have diminished - the team under Mark Robins is now trailing by nine points compared to sixth-place Norwich City and only have four games left.