Sky Sports loses rights to football tournament after 26 years as rival swoops in | Football | Sport

Sky Sports has been stripped of the rights to a major football tournament after 26 years, with TNT swooping in to secure Masters Football. The competition, which last aired in 2011 and was broadcast on Sky from 2000, is set for a comeback featuring teams from Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Ajax competing in a one-day six-a-side tournament on May 31.

The event will take place at the OVO Arena Wembley. The squads for Chelsea, Liverpool, Ajax and Real Madrid have all been confirmed, with the Stamford Bridge outfit boasting the likes of Claude Makelele and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in their ranks. Liverpool will call upon former Birmingham City star Jermaine Pennant, alongside ex-West Bromwich Albion striker Andy Carroll, former Southampton man Rickie Lambert and Finland legend Jari Litmanen. Carroll is currently out of work after leaving the KSI-backed Dagenham and Redbridge where he was interim head coach.

Ajax will field Siem de Jong and former Arsenal favourite Nwankwo Kanu, as well as Gregory van der Wiel. Real Madrid’s squad features ex-Bolton Wanderers midfielder Ivan Campo, Javi Balboa and Ruben de la Red, along with former Chelsea star Geremi, ex-Liverpool midfielder Antonio Nunez and former Manchester City striker Alvaro Negredo.

Matches at the Masters will last 14 minutes with rolling substitutions allowed. As is customary with the format, boards mark the edges of the pitch – making it a cage-like set-up.

Games will be played in a round-robin format and with the top two teams progress to the final. The last tournament was in 2011, when Rangers beat Leeds United in the final.

Line-ups so far

Chelsea: 23. Carlo Cudicini, 29. Robert Huth, 3. Frank Sinclair, 20. Jody Morris, 15. Mario Melchiot, 4. Claude Makelele, 9. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, 18. Loic Remy

Liverpool: 1. Sander Westerveld, 34. Martin Kelly, 38. Jon Flanagan, 19. Stewart Downing, 16. Jermaine Pennant, 37. Jari Litmanen, 7. Rickie Lambert, 9. Andy Carroll. 3. Paul Konchesky

Ajax: 1. Maarten Stekelenburg, 20. Demy de Zeeuw, 13. Ricardo van Rhijn, 23. Hedwiges Maduro, 6. Aron Winter, 10. Siem de Jong, 2. Gregory van der Wiel, 9. Nwankwo Kanu

Real Madrid: 1. Pedro Contreras Gonzalez, 30. Raul Bravo, 12. Ivan Campo, 24. Javi Balboa, 27. Ruben de la Red, 15. Geremi, 27. Antonio Nunez, 9. Alvaro Negredo.