The Premier League match between Leicester and Tottenham scheduled for Thursday evening has finally been postponed due to new cases of Covid at the Foxes, the English football club announced on Thursday (December 16th).
“Leicester City can confirm Premier League management have decided to postpone Thursday’s game against Tottenham”, wrote the club in a statement. “The club do not have enough able-bodied first-team players to play the game”, explained Leicester, whose request for postponement had been initially refused the day before.
Leicester also announced the 48-hour closure of its training center “to help cut the circuits (of infection)”, which calls into question whether the match will be held in Everton on Sunday.
Leicester coach Brendan Rodgers regretted on Wednesday that a first request for a postponement was rejected when nine players went missing, positive for coronavirus, sick or injured. We still do not know how many players have Covid.
Leicester City can confirm that the Premier League Board has decided to postpone Thursday night’s fixture against Tottenham Hotspur.
– Leicester City (@LCFC) December 16, 2021
This is the fourth Premier League game postponed due to Covid cases, after Brighton-Tottenham scheduled for Sunday, Brentford-Manchester United postponed on Tuesday and Burnley-Watford, whose kick-off was canceled on Wednesday two hours before the match.
On Thursday, Danish Brentford coach Thomas Frank even pleaded for the entire 18th day, which takes place Saturday and Sunday, to be postponed.
“The number of Covid cases is exploding in all clubs. Everyone is faced with this (…) Postponing this day and also (the quarter-finals of) the League Cup (scheduled for Tuesday and next Wednesday) would leave everyone at least a week or four or five days to disinfect and do whatever it takes in the training centers “, he pleaded.
“This would break the chain (of contamination) in all clubs”, Frank said again.