Celtic vs Aberdeen will NOT be televised – and here are the multiple reasons why fans are sick about it

Forget the why, we'll ruminate over that shortly. Instead, let's zero in on the how surrounding an own goal which feels avoidable.

In a fortnight, two Premiership sides boasting unblemished records will lock horns in Glasgow's east end as champions Celtic host an Aberdeen side who have won a remarkable 13 consecutive games under Jimmy Thelin. The super Swede has breathed new life into a team who, somehow, contrived to skirt the edges of a relegation dogfight before Peter Leven cleaned up the mess continued by Neil Warnock last season.

So how remarkable is this Granite City turnaround, you say? If Thelin masterminds a win against Celtic he will have equalled Aberdeen's pre-split win total of eight in 25 fewer matches. So, how can the average dedicated follower of Scottish football tune into this can't miss match? Well, er, there's a wee catch, you won't be able to watch the game live in Britain.

The long-running debate over big games in Scottish football being unable for live public consumption has bubbled to the surface on multiple occasions over the years. So, let's park the how, or how the Hell, in this case, and delve into the why. The reason you won't be watching the game live on your couch or in the pub is two-fold. Firstly, and it's the unavoidable factor, is the controversial 3pm blackout rule – in place across the whole of British football. The premise is simple, you cannot kick off televised matches between 14.25 and 17.25 on Saturday's bar Cup Finals. The rule, in place since 1960 and viewed as archaic by many, is in place to protect the sacred kick-off time which was the go to of a bygone era.

The Covid pandemic isn't remembered fondly but it did allow football chiefs to get creative and think differently over