The derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in the Premier League is canceled on Sunday. Arsenal cannot mobilize enough players and the Premier League has therefore put an end to the game between the arch-rivals. The London club is missing many players due to corona infections, injuries and the African Cup, and submitted a request to the Premier League on Friday to postpone the game. That has been honored.
According to the rules, a club must show up if at least thirteen players and a goalkeeper can be selected. That is not the case at Arsenal. The fact that some of the absentees are missing for a reason other than a corona infection does not matter to the rules. “All clubs can request a postponement if corona infections affect personnel problems,” the Premier League wrote in a statement on Saturday.
Game off. What started out as postponements due to a pandemic has now become about clubs not having their best team . The Premier League must stop this now , draw a line in the sand and say all games go ahead unless you have an exceptional amount of CV cases . It’s wrong ??
— Gary Neville (@GNev2) January 15, 2022
“We apologize to the supporters who were planning to watch the match. Unfortunately, sometimes such decisions have to be made at the last minute, because safety remains our priority.” Arsenal’s next game is scheduled for next Thursday, when the first game against Liverpool in the League Cup semi-finals is scheduled.
Several clubs have been struggling with corona infections within the selection for weeks. The match between Burnley and Leicester City, which was scheduled for Saturday, was previously canceled. The Premier League’s decision to grant Arsenal’s request has not gone down well with everyone.
“Since when is having to give up players for the Africa Cup a valid reason not to let a match go ahead? That is ridiculous. This season stinks,” reporter Alex Shaw reported ESPN. Gary Neville also disagrees. “It started with the postponement of matches due to a pandemic and it is now a situation where clubs cannot put together the best team. The Premier League must stop this, draw a line and allow all matches to continue unless there is an exceptional number of corona infections. This is wrong,” emphasizes the former footballer.