Tottenham out COVID-19 outbreak: postponed Europa Conference League match against Rennes will not be played

The postponed Europa Conference League match between Tottenham and Rennes will not be played, with UEFA’s disciplinary panel set to decide Spurs’ fate in the competition.

Spurs were forced to postpone their match, scheduled for Thursday, after a COVID-19 outbreak in Antonio Conte’s squad resulted in the closure of their training ground. Sunday’s Premier League match against Brighton has also been removed from the fixture list and CBS Sports reported on Wednesday that their upcoming visit to Leicester City is also in doubt.

UEFA requires any uncompleted fixtures to be completed by 31 December and there is no space in the Spurs and Rennes collective calendars for matchmaking, the decision on the outcome of the match rests with the Authority. control, ethics and discipline, who will meet next week. A key factor in consideration will be whether Tottenham can name 13 A-list players in their squad, including a goalkeeper. In such cases, European football’s governing body expects matches to be played.

A UEFA statement said: “Following an outbreak of COVID-19 in Tottenham Hotspur FC ahead of their UEFA Europa Conference League group stage match against Stade Rennais FC, scheduled for 9 December 2021 in London , the match cannot take place.

“In accordance with Annex J of the UEFA Europa Conference League regulations, UEFA, in collaboration with the two clubs, has attempted to find a possible solution to postpone the match, in order to ensure that the group stage can be completed in accordance with regulations.

“Unfortunately, despite all efforts, a solution that could be effective for both clubs could not be found. As a result, the match could not be played any further and the matter was therefore transferred. to UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body for a decision to be made in accordance with Annex J of the above competition regulation.”

Want more coverage of the game of the world? Listen below and follow ¡Qué Golazo! A Daily CBS Football Podcast where we take you off the field and around the globe for commentary, previews, recaps and more.

Appendix J deals with coronavirus-based issues that may affect the group stages of the competition. It states that “clubs that are unable to play the match will be responsible for the failure to take place and the match will be declared by UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body and the club will be cancelled. match 3-0.”

Such a result will eliminate Tottenham from the opponent. Vitesse’s 3-1 win over Mura means that as the game goes on, Spurs will need to beat Rennes, who are already top of the group, to reach the first knockout round.

The decision to postpone the match is not a common occurrence with Tottenham’s group stage opponents. Rennes issued a stark statement condemning the late decision, which came to light after their players had arrived in London, while Vitesse questioned whether a match played at a later date would have any effect. to the situation of table G.

At the time of game pause, Spurs had eight players and five members of the first team who had tested positive for COVID-19 and other cases on the club’s Under-23 team. Those who did not test positive are currently doing home gym work.