Everton-Stoke match switched back to original date after BNP scraps rally

• Premier League fixture reverts to 14 March
• Saturday timing 'appropriate' say club

Everton have confirmed their Premier League match against Stoke City has move back to its original date of 14 March after the British National Party scrapped a rally it was planning to hold in Liverpool on the same day.

The Saturday 3pm kick-off had originally been put back 24 hours after club officials were told by Merseyside police to move it because of the BNP demonstration scheduled to take place in the city centre. The police had claimed "operational reasons" meant the two events could not take place at the same time and Everton made efforts to move the game with Stoke.

However, the BNP have decided not to stage the demonstration, leaving the way clear for Everton to play Stoke on the original date of the fixture. Merseyside police have now granted permission for the Everton to host the game on the Saturday.

Everton manager David Moyes has also stated his preference to play the game on the original date because of an FA Cup quarter-final and a visit to Portsmouth being due either side of the Stoke match.

Everton's head of public relations, Ian Ross, said: "Since the game was moved from Saturday to Sunday we have received numerous calls and emails from our supporters disappointed with the decision. We do understand their frustrations and when the police indicated they would permit the game to be played on the Saturday, we felt it was wholly appropriate to return the fixture to its original date.

"This is, of course, not without its problems and there will be some supporters who will be inconvenienced by the changes. We will work with those fans to find suitable solutions and this will include potential reimbursement for travel and accommodation."

Guardian

BNP cancels event after match row

Another propaganda disaster for the BNP

The British National Party (BNP) has cancelled an event in Liverpool which police said forced them to postpone Everton's match against Stoke.

The Premier League fixture was due to take place at Goodison on Saturday, 14 March, but was switched to Sunday. The Merseyside force feared it did not have enough officers to police the match and a city centre election leafleting event by the party. But the BNP told the BBC its event was being cancelled for the sake of fans.

Deputy leader Simon Darby said: "It's the right thing to do. It's an unholy political row and football is going to be the loser here, so I don't see why Everton and Stoke fans should be inconvenienced. And if the police can cancel these fixtures as they seem to do at the drop of a hat, then they can rearrange it now."

Merseyside Police and Everton Football Club are yet to comment on the latest development.

The match is still scheduled to take place at 1500 GMT on Sunday, 15 March, following a police request to the Premier League. The force apologised to fans for the rearrangement, but said "public safety was paramount".

BBC

Don't pander to the BNP

It’s bad enough that the BNP will be on the streets of Liverpool spouting their bile next month [though click here for one way it could be stopped]. What makes it doubly hard to stomach is the fact that ordinary, decent Merseysiders are being inconvenienced to accommodate them.

The British National Party will be leafleting in the city centre on March 14 – the day Everton are scheduled to take on Stoke City at Goodison Park. Merseyside Police are unwilling to attempt to police both events at once, so the Premiership clash has been hastily rescheduled for the following day.

It’s simply unfair.

Football fans get heartily sick of fixture changes to suit the TV money moguls who essentially own the game. The TV firms pay the big bucks that pay the big wage bills and, like it or not, they demand the matches are played when it suits them and their armchair audience.

They often switch at short notice and can have a real impact on family life and work shifts. Season ticket holders, in particular, get a raw deal.

It is testimony to the liberal nature of this country’s lawmakers that the BNP are allowed to peddle their dubious politics, almost at will. Especially as their presence usually attracts the hard-line anti-Nazi brigade whose own tactics can create sickening violence when the two groups collide.

Sadly we appear to pander to the negative forces and we just cannot see why that should be the case.

Everton’s game has been set in the fixture list since last summer. Plans have been made. The BNP announced their intentions in January. They are the latecomers to this particular and potentially unpleasant party.

Surely Liverpool’s police and civic leaders should have told the leafleters straight: Another day ... or, better still, another city.

Liverpool Echo