Todd Boehly has been given his first taste of European tradition ahead of the FA Cup final which sees Chelsea and Liverpool lock horns at Wembley. The Blues are set to share centre stage with the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday.
In each of the west London side's previous trips to Wembley in 2021 and 2020 for the FA Cup final kick-off has been at 5:15pm and 5:30pm, though this year the bout will begin at 4:45pm. And that earlier kick-off is down to the fact the Eurovision Song Contest falls on the same day as the FA Cup showpiece.
BBC scheduling issues around Eurovision has meant the FA Cup final has been brought forward - a seemingly crazy but true moment. Chelsea's visit to Elland Road on May 11 has been sandwiched by the first and second Eurovision semi-final — May 10 and May 12 — before the Grand Final on May 14. The song contest will be broadcasted from 6:15pm to 7:15pm on BBC Two, with coverage of the FA Cup final via BBC One until 7:15pm.
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Eurovision then recommences on BBC One from 8pm after a 45-minute intermission — in the meantime, Pointless Celebrities and Natural World fill the interval on either channel. Though, should the FA Cup final go to extra-time and penalties BBC One will extend the coverage and eat into Pointless Celebrities.
Like the United Kingdom in the song contest, Chelsea have fallen at the last hurdle in each of their previous two attempts in the competition, losing to Arsenal and Leicester City. The Blues made a habit of walking up Olympic Way throughout Roman Abramovich’s tenure.
Boehly will be keen to follow suit though this time with a winner’s medal in hand, and a trophy to sit on the mantlepiece ready for Eurovision to start. Speaking ahead of the FA Cup final, Thomas Tuchel explained how his side are looking forward to the bout irrespective of Liverpool's impressive displays this season.
"I don't care about their other titles," the German said. "We lost, of course, the final. We gave everything in that final as you know, it was a big match that went until the very last penalty.
"Of course, we were unlucky and lost it. We want to turn things around. It will not give us the Carabao Cup title back but we are here and were here last season in the FA Cup final and that means an unbelievable lot to us."
Tuchel added by talking up the occasion, indirectly emphasising the importance of the FA Cup to Boehly. The Chelsea boss said: "It's the FA Cup, the most prestigious, most traditional cup in the world and played at Wembley.
"There are not a lot of bigger games to be part of and it's why we are grateful and we will be well prepared. We play against one of the strongest teams in the world which are in outstanding form given their results. So it will be a tough one and we will try to make life hard for them."
