Two matches postponed: Boxing Day on Sunday, the flagship event of the English championship, is in turn disrupted by the resurgence of Covid-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant in Great Britain.
It is one of the most festive moments of the season: on Boxing Day, players and spectators unite to celebrate football in a colorful and friendly atmosphere.
But the 2021 edition of Boxing Day was cut Thursday by two matches, including one in the legendary Anfield Road stadium, between Liverpool and Leeds.
Despite a high vaccination rate, Leeds lamented the positive tests of five players, along with a long list of injuries, which means the team coached by Marcelo Bielsa cannot field 13 outfielders and a goalkeeper .
Premier League standings
© AFP – Vincent LEFAI
“We will not have enough recognized first team players to meet the Premier League’s demands for the game,” lamented the team, currently 16th in the Premier League.
For his part, Watford, who was to go to Wolverhampton, was forced to cancel his trip after having already had to postpone his two previous matches, against Burnley and Crystal Palace. These two postponements are added to the ten others during the last two weeks.
In total, 18 posters of the first four English divisions scheduled for Boxing Day have already been postponed.
– No season suspension –
Everton had also asked to postpone their match against Burnley, but their request was denied, despite 11 absences from the ranks of the Toffees. “We have six injured and five players sick from Covid,” club coach Rafael Benitez revealed. “I think it’s not fair.”
But the Premier League clubs, worried about the deleterious effects that an interruption of the season could cause, refused during a meeting organized at the beginning of the week to temporarily stop the championship.
This crisis occurs at a pivotal period of the English football season, both sporting and financially, in view of the crowds expected during the three days scheduled between December 26 and January 3.
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte (L) and Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp during Spurs v Reds game in London on December 19, 2021
© AFP – JUSTIN TALLIS
Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp and Tottenham counterpart Antonio Conte have pleaded for a one-game reduction in the English League Cup semi-finals Liverpool-Arsenal and Tottenham-Chelsea, scheduled for the start January, in order to unclog the calendar. Last year, these semi-finals were reduced to a single meeting due to the pandemic.
Spurs, seventh in the Premier League, have three games to go due to postponements linked to bad weather conditions and the coronavirus epidemic within the workforce.
“It would be better to play one game instead of two, especially in the current context, but we are playing by the rules,” said their coach, Italy’s Antonio Conte.
– Welsh behind closed doors, Scottish gauge –
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson worried on Wednesday that “no one is taking the welfare of the players seriously”, referring to the teams’ already busy schedule.
In the Premier League, 84% of players have already received at least one dose, according to the statement released by the League earlier this week. This rate rises to 92% when aggregating club staff.
Celtic Glasgow Scottish midfielder Michael Johnston in the Europa League home game against Sevilla Betis on December 9, 2021
© AFP – ANDY BUCHANAN
In England, no restrictions have been put in place to reduce the capacity to accommodate the public, but supporters must provide proof of vaccination or show a negative test taken within the previous 48 hours.
Neighboring nations, Wales and Scotland have taken the opposite view of England, by establishing restrictive measures, intended to fight against the epidemic outbreak. In Wales, sporting events will take place without an audience from the 26th, while in Scotland a 500-person bar for outdoor competitions has been introduced.
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