Official announcement over upcoming Liverpool fixture is another slap in the face to supporters

Liverpool now know the time and date for their FA Cup fourth-round fixture against Brighton, and it’s caused a bit of consternation, to say the least.

On Friday evening, the FA formally confirmed the dates and kick-off times for the next round of their flagship competition, and the Reds will welcome Fabian Hurzeler’s side to Anfield on Saturday 14 February with an 8pm kick-off.

Unsurprisingly, the scheduling has been met with justified howls of derision from many supporters online, including those of the home team who can empathise with the logistical nightmare their Seagulls counterparts are now facing.

Completely unfair on the travelling Brighton fans. Whoever decided this kick off time needs sacking. https://t.co/DDmuUjDVFU

— ZAGKAG (@ZAGKAG1811) January 16, 2026

According to Google Maps, the quickest route by road from Brighton to Liverpool is a five-hour drive, and it’s not unthinkable that the match could go to extra time and penalties.

In that scenario, it could be approaching 11pm by the time the match ends. Even if away fans make a quick getaway from Anfield, it’d be 4am Sunday morning by the time they’re back on the south coast. As for getting a late train back to Sussex without an overnight stay…good luck with that.

Fans done dirty once again by nightmare fixture scheduling

Once again, when it comes to fixture scheduling, the heartbeat of the sport – the match-going die-hards – are the last consideration by the authorities tasked with organising dates and kick-off times.

What happened to all the posturing from broadcasters and governing bodies about supporters being the lifeblood of the game during those dark pandemic-era days at the start of this decade, when a soulless imitation of football was played out at empty stadia throughout the country?

Liverpool fans are no strangers to the Saturday 8pm kick-off slot – we’ve already had it twice this season (Brentford away, Aston Villa at home) and have two more pencilled in over the next month (Newcastle on 31 January, Brighton a fortnight later).

It isn’t just Seagulls supporters being done dirty by the FA Cup fourth-round schedule, either – their Chelsea and Ipswich counterparts face lengthy trips to Hull and Wrexham respectively on a Friday night, while Brentford fans will face a long comminute to Cheshire for their Monday night clash at Macclesfield.

Why was Saturday night chosen for Liverpool v Brighton?

It’s inevitable in 2026 that a sizeable portion of games will be selected for live TV coverage, and while Saturday and Sunday afternoon slots are the most ideal for match-going supporters, the latter might’ve been problematic as the Reds could yet have a Champions League match on Tuesday 18 February, should they have to go through the knockout play-off round.

Even at that, surely somebody within the FA or TNT Sports (who have the broadcasting rights for the match) could’ve been reasonably expected to raise a red flag about asking Brighton fans to travel to Liverpool and back at such a late hour.

Every Seagulls supporter who makes the trip in such inconvenient circumstances deserves an enormous amount of credit, and the home crowd inside Anfield that night would readily acknowledge as much, especially those who routinely travel throughout the country to support Arne Slot’s side.

You can watch Slot’s full pre-Burnley press conference below, via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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