Chaos ensues as UEFA finally postpones UECL game between Tottenham vs Rennes in latest statement
According to The Mirror, Stade Rennes have released an angry response to a statement from Tottenham stating that the UEFA Europa Conference League clash later today was postponed. The match would have taken place in normal conditions, but a Covid outbreak at N17 has caused chaos ahead of the game.
Earlier, Tottenham released a statement in which they insisted that the Conference League match against Rennes would be rescheduled to a later date. They added that conversations are ongoing with UEFA to provide further updates on this fixture. Spurs currently need to match Vitesse Arnhem’s result on the night to progress to the knockout rounds.
The French club did not take a liking and released their reply on their official site. They were adamant that the match would go about as scheduled, as the rules state so. They continued to question the legitimacy of the North London club’s statement as it was not backed by official documents.
“As the match is not officially called off by UEFA, Stade Rennais has stuck to its decision to play the game. [Spurs’ representative] did not announce the number of players with Covid, even though the rule states the match must be played if the team has 13 outfield players and a goalkeeper.”
“She claimed a decision from the English authorities, without providing any official documents.”
More drama to follow
As eight players and five members of staff have tested positive for Covid, it is clear that there is an outbreak. In such circumstances, football should take a step up as the lives of people could be at risk. Looking through that perspective, it is puzzling that there is even a question of whether the match should take place or not.
However, according to The Athletic, UEFA have joined in alongside Les Rennais, commenting on the different stances taken by both those clubs:
“The match is due to take place as scheduled. For further information regarding Tottenham’s COVID situation, please contact the club. We have no other comment to make at this stage.”
If only the rules get taken into consideration, the Ligue 1 club would be right about their statement as the English club has not seemingly fallen into that category. But the delicacy of the situation at hand should be taken into consideration. The irony in the statement from our opponents could not get bigger.
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The rules were likely written when a pandemic like this did not exist. Moreover, the whole tournament was modified and even postponed to an extent when there weren’t even confirmed reports of teams actually having an outbreak in their camps.
The London-based club says they have consulted UEFA on the matter but the latter’s initial comment complicates that claim. It also raises questions on how the club released that statement in the first place.
The latest update tells us that the game is postponed after UEFA released a statement. They added that further information about the rescheduled date will soon follow in due time. This is the right thing to be done considering the implications for the parties involved, especially Spurs, who would have been placed at an added disadvantage if the game did go ahead.
