Spanish Football League president Javier Tebas has insisted that he has the final say on kickoff times in La Liga.
Late kickoffs have been a long-running issue in Spanish football, with many claiming that the scheduling decreases the number of children attending.
It had been thought that the power of TV took the decision out of Tebas's hands, but the Spaniard has revealed that he has control.
"The times I decide on are in agreement with DTS (Satellite Television Distributors) and the game shown on Canal Plus," he told El Confidencial.
"I've been working in this way for around 18 months and have consulted with the television operators, but it's me who makes the decisions. I understand that sometimes the kickoff times the operators want are not the best for football.
"However, I've always defended the distribution of start times as it's very important for medium and small clubs to get audio-visual exposure, both at a national and international level. They didn't have that before and it's something that will allow them to grow abroad."
Four La Liga clashes this week will not start until 10pm local time.
Matt Law
