Tottenham: UEFA rule Tottenham v Rennes CANNOT be played
UEFA have ruled that Tottenham‘s postponed Europa Conference League match against Rennes cannot be played – throwing the group into chaos.
Spurs’ final group-stage tie was postponed due to a Covid-19 outbreak at the club, with Antonio Conte‘s side asking for it to be rescheduled, but with a race against time to play it before the December 31 deadline, UEFA have stated it is not possible.
The European governing body have referred the matter to the Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body to resolve the issue, with Tottenham forfeiting the game a potential option.
UEFA have ruled Tottenham’s Europa Conference League game vs Rennes cannot be played
Antonio Conte’s (above) Spurs had faced the tricky task of rescheduling the fixture before the December 31 deadline UEFA has set – but it now appears the match cannot happen
Tottenham’s Europa Conference League Group G table. Graphic by: sofascore.com
The 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.
‘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.’
Tottenham announced on Wednesday the game would not happen the following day because of the coronavirus outbreak, but opponents Rennes angrily accused the Premier League side of making a ‘unilateral decision’.
They accused Spurs of causing ‘London fog’ by refusing to tell them how many cases they had and informing them in the afternoon the game would be played, only to call it off an hour after they had arrived in the capital.
French side Rennes called for the Europa Conference League game with Spurs to be cancelled
The Ligue 1 side are set to start to be on their winter break from December 22 to January 8
Rennes responded to Tottenham’s statement with their own, claiming Spurs refused to reveal the number of players affected by Covid-19 when competition rules state a match must be played as long as the team has 13 outfield players and a goalkeeper.
Spurs were understood to have just about enough players available, without the suspended Ryan Sessegnon plus their injured and Covid-affected players, to meet that threshold.
The Ligue 1 club, who returned to France on Thursday morning, later said they ‘hope the interests of the club will be respected’ regarding a possible rearrangement.
UEFA’s ruling comes with serious questions over when the game would be played, given that rules state there is a December 31 deadline for group games to be completed and an extension of that deadline into January is apparently not possible.
Tottenham have a packed domestic schedule, with their game against Burnley already postponed, and Rennes go on a winter break on December 22, with no intention of playing after that point.
There are fears Tottenham’s next couple of games could be affected by the Covid outbreak
The first-team area of Spurs’ training ground is closed and the players are training from home
The club’s league match against Brighton on Sunday has also been postponed, with the clash against Leicester the week after also at risk of being delayed.
Conte’s men still have to face Leicester, Liverpool, Crystal Palace and Southampton in the Premier League this month, plus West Ham in the Carabao Cup on December 22.
The prospect of moving the game against the Hammers appears small given semi-final first legs are scheduled to take place on January 4 and 5.
UEFA had asked Tottenham to suspend a Premier League game – but it remains unclear if either the club or the league would allow such a measure.
Tottenham, whose first-team area at the training ground is closed, with players working from home, hope team training can recommence in the next 48 hours, depending on the next round of Covid tests.
