The Premier League was forced on Thursday to postpone six matches because of Covid but insisted it was determined to continue with the season despite calls for a ‘firebreak’ suspension.
As cases continued to spread across football – and postponements piled up in the EFL – Brentford’s Thomas Frank said this weekend’s fixtures should be suspended to “break the chains” of infection. Organisers, meanwhile, doubled down on emergency regulations and a new focus on changing the minds of vaccine-refusing players.
An explosion of cases at Manchester United caused their match against Brighton on Saturday to be called off, with it understood that a combination of Covid and fitness issues had left only seven players from their first-team squad available for selection.
Earlier a worsening picture at Leicester forced their game at home to Tottenham on Thursday to be postponed. Then shortly before 7pm GMT the league announced that four weekend fixtures would not go ahead: Southampton v Brentford, Watford v Crystal Palace, West Ham v Norwich and Everton v Leicester.
It means only five matches are due to be played this weekend – two on Saturday and three on Sunday. The league said Brentford had closed their training ground and were unable to prepare and that Watford, Norwich and Leicester had insufficient players, with injuries and other illnesses contributing in Norwich’s case.
On Wednesday Watford confirmed a rash of positive tests just a few hours before they had been due to step out at Burnley. The Premier League has come in for criticism over late decisions and a lack of clarity over its rules, but in announcing the United and Brighton postponement it insisted it was determined to play on.
“While recognising a number of clubs are experiencing Covid-19 outbreaks, it is the league’s intention to continue its current fixture schedule where safely possible,” it said. “The health and wellbeing of all concerned remains our priority.”
Some fixtures have continued despite Covid cases this week, including Chelsea’s home match against Everton and Norwich’s defeat against Aston Villa on Tuesday. With players now taking daily lateral flow tests, a new round of data will be available before the next round of matches begins this weekend, the crowded Christmas schedule coming up close behind.
Frank had earlier told reporters he thought all games should be called off. “We think we should postpone the full round of Premier League games this weekend,” the manager said. “Covid cases are going through the roof at all Premier League clubs; everyone is dealing with it and having problems.
“To postpone this round and also the Carabao Cup round [next Tuesday and Wednesday] would give everyone a week at least, or four or five days to clean and do everything at the training ground so everything is clean and you break the chain.”
The Leeds United manager, Marcelo Bielsa, also expressed uncertainty over playing on, saying there were concerns over sporting integrity. “I would not like to come up against a team that is depleted due to Covid”, he said, “I would not like to take advantage of that.”
Both United and Leicester have shut their training grounds this week, with Leicester saying they had done so as “a circuit breaker to help reduce the risk of further infection”. On Thursday Brighton announced that they too would be limiting access, with training suspended over the weekend despite the United postponement.
While the pressure on league competition was undoubtedly growing, the Premier League continued to stick by medical protocols, introduced a week ago, in the hope they will slow the spread. On Thursday the EFL detailed new regulations, which fall in line with those in the top flight, as they confirmed that four fixtures, including Sheffield Wednesday’s League One clash with Accrington Stanley, had been postponed.
New ‘RED’ protocols will limit physical contact and time spent indoors at EFL training grounds. Players will for the first time also be expected to test themselves daily, using NHS lateral flow tests subject to availability. The EFL also spelled out their criteria for a match suspension, with clubs expected to play if they have 14 players and a goalkeeper available.
Football
Premier League: Five of the weekend’s fixtures have now been postponed – Manchester United v Brighton, Southampton v Brentford, Watford v Crystal Palace and West Ham v Norwich on Saturday, and Everton v Leicester on Sunday.
Leicester v Spurs was initially set to go ahead on Thursday despite both clubs calling for a postponement – it was eventually called off early on Thursday afternoon. Wednesday’s game between Burnley and Watford at Turf Moor was also postponed.
Championship: Five of Saturday’s fixtures have been postponed, with QPR’s home game against Swansea called off after Monday’s match at Sheffield United was cancelled. Millwall v Preston, Reading v Luton, Cardiff v Derby and Coventry v Stoke are also off.
League One: Sheffield Wednesday’s game with Accrington has been called off, as have Gillingham v Crewe and Lincoln v Doncaster.
League Two: Crawley’s clash with Oldham, Swindon v Walsall and Northampton v Barrow on Saturday have all been postponed.
Rugby union
Saracens have forfeited their Challenge Cup game against Pau and closed their training ground due to a significant Covid outbreak.
At the same time, the EFL also chose to release figures about vaccination amongst its players including the revelation that a quarter of players not only remain unvaccinated but are refusing to get a jab. This compares to 59% of players who are double-jabbed, with 19% either single-jabbed or willing to take the vaccine.
The figures were released as ongoing concern among clubs over unvaccinated players have risen up the agenda, given the role they may play in spreading the disease. Before Liverpool’s match against Newcastle, J?rgen Klopp used his programme notes to reveal his Liverpool squad would soon be receiving their booster doses and called for others to get jabbed.
“We have a very high take-up of the vaccine at our club and have done for a long time,” he wrote. “I have no issue telling you I received my booster jab as soon as I was eligible and again that will be the case for many if not nearly all within our ranks in the coming days and weeks … Ignore those who pretend to know. Ignore lies and misinformation. Listen to people who know best. If you do that, you end up wanting the vaccine and the booster.”
