Spurs and Rennais were to meet in London on Thursday.
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This time, it’s official. After a first speech by the London club on Tuesday, widely contested by Stade Rennes, this time it was UEFA which communicated on Thursday, December 9.
The body in charge of the European Cups has confirmed the postponement of the match to a date not yet determined, due to a large number of players at the English club affected by the Covid. “We can confirm that the Tottenham-Rennes meeting will not take place tonight”, a spokesperson for the European body told AFP.
“Due to the fact that the match will not be held tonight, the entire delegation is back at this very moment.A spokesperson for Rennes confirmed to AFP. Sign that the current coronavirus outbreak is catching up with European football, eight players and five staff members have tested positive for Covid-19 in Tottenham, while Leicester are goes to Napoli in the Europa League without seven of its players.
Finding a postponement date promises to be complicated, with Tottenham having six domestic fixtures to play by December 28.
And if rescheduling the meeting ultimately proves impossible, UEFA regulations provide for two new risks of defeat by default linked to the Covid since the 2020-21 season, each time with a score of 3-0. This will be the case if a team cannot field “at least thirteen players“including a goalkeeper, because a large part of his workforce is sick or in quarantine.
The same sanction awaits a club judged “responsible for the non-progress of a match “ due to restrictions imposed by its national authorities, for example a border closure or quarantine measures: it would then be necessary to find a stadium on neutral ground to relocate the match.