Tottenham’s postponed Europa Conference League match against Rennes will not be played, with UEFA’s disciplinary panel set to determine Spurs’ fate in the competition.
Spurs were forced to postpone the game, scheduled for Thursday, after a COVID-19 outbreak within Antonio Conte’s squad that has led to their training ground being closed. Sunday’s Premier League match against Brighton has also been wiped off the fixture list and CBS Sports reported on Wednesday that their upcoming visit to Leicester City is also in doubt.
UEFA mandate that any incomplete fixture must be completed by December 31 and with no space in the collective calendars of Spurs and Rennes to arrange the match, a decision on its outcome rests with its Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body, who will meet next week. A significant factor in its consideration will be whether Tottenham could have named 13 List A players in their squad, including one goalkeeper. In such circumstances European football’s governing body expects games to be played.
A UEFA statement said: “Following a COVID-19 outbreak in the team of Tottenham Hotspur FC ahead of the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage match against Stade Rennais FC, scheduled to take place on 9 December 2021 in London, the match could not take place.
“In accordance with Annex J of the UEFA Europa Conference League regulations, UEFA, in cooperation with the two clubs tried to find a viable solution in order to reschedule the match, so as to ensure the group stage could be completed accordingly.
“Unfortunately, despite all efforts, a solution that could work for both clubs could not be found. As a consequence, the match can no longer be played and the matter will, therefore, be referred to the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body for a decision to be taken in accordance with Annex J of the above-mentioned competition regulations.”
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Annex J relates to coronavirus-based issues that may affect the group stages of the competition. It states that “the club that cannot play the match will be held responsible for the match not taking place and the match will be declared by the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body to be forfeited by the club, which will be considered to have lost the match 3-0.”
Such a result would eliminate Tottenham from the competition. Vitesse’s 3-1 win over Mura means that had the match taken place Spurs would have needed to beat Rennes, who are already guaranteed to finish top of the group, to reach the first knockout round.
The decision to postpone the match had not been a popular one with Tottenham’s group stage opponents. Rennes released a sternly worded statement bemoaning the late decision, which came to light after their players had already arrived in London, whilst Vitesse questioned whether a match played at a later date would have an impact on the integrity of Group G.
At the time of the match’s suspension Spurs had eight players and five members of first team staff who had tested positive for COVID-19 with further cases in the club’s Under-23 squad. Those who have not tested positive are currently undertaking fitness work at home.
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