Davinson Sanchez slams UEFA for kicking Tottenham Hotspur out of Europa Conference League
UEFA have kicked Tottenham Hotspur out of the Europa Conference League prompting Davinson Sanchez to slam them for their decision. The last group stage match between Spurs and Stade Rennes was postponed following a Covid outbreak at Hotspur Way.
Tottenham could have qualified for the knockout rounds had they won the game in hand. But the governing officials decided to cancel the match, having failed to find a suitable date before the deadline. That has seen them reward Rennes with a 3-0 win, with Vitesse Arnhem now qualifying as the second-placed team.
Speaking in an interview with Sky Sports (h/t Metro), Sanchez questioned the fair play surrounding the decision and conveyed they have a right to play the match. He added how they did everything on their part, but the virus breakout was something they couldn’t have foreseen or controlled.
“Having a right to play, it is not fair for us [when UEFA] just say you are out of the competition. More [so] knowing that we didn’t play the game because of the Covid cases. We prepared the game, we were focused, we were doing everything to play Rennes. It was the night before that we got the news that the game was not going to be played. I think it is a bit unfair for us as a club, for our fans because it was a competition that we were struggling playing away from home but we still had a chance to stay in the competition so it is completely unfair.”
Where’s the integrity?
Sure, it is hard to find a suitable date as our opposition also have to discuss things with the respective associations and organizations. The fact that the Premier League had already postponed our fixtures against Burnley, Brighton and Hove Albion, and Leicester City does not help the case.
The knockouts only start in February of next year and it would be frustrating for Spurs fans to know that they have been eliminated this way. A feeling of injustice should rightly prevail amongst the fanbase even if the rules were followed letter-literally by UEFA.
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As a newly found competition, the Conference League does not have much value among the fans in general. The organization should make measures to ensure that the participating teams cosy up to the idea of the competition rather than alienating an entire fanbase with a decision many would be right to label as unjust.
The one positive would be how it would help in lessening the fixture congestion in the future. That is especially the case when you consider that we have three games in hand to be played in the league. But it doesn’t change the fact that there is one less trophy for us to contest this season.
