The Conference League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Stade Rennes will not be played on Thursday, the Premier League club confirmed on Wednesday evening. The club was in contact with UEFA on Wednesday in an attempt to persuade the association to later cancel the game due to the high number of infections with the corona virus. A new date has not yet been announced. Tottenham do not even use the word ‘postponed’ in the club statement, but only state that the game will not go ahead.
A regulatory loss seems a serious possibility; Tottenham report that ‘talks with UEFA’ are underway and an ‘update’ will follow, but finding a new date is ostensibly impossible in the coming weeks. Tottenham’s games are scheduled for December 12, December 16, December 19, December 22, December 26, December 28 and January 1. Last season Qarabag missed too many players for the last group game against Villarreal in the Europa League, no new date could be found and Qarabag lost 3-0 by regulation. However, there was less at stake then than it is now.
The number of Tottenham players infected with the corona virus has risen to eleven, the reported Daily Mail already on Wednesday. Eight infected players and five members of the coaching staff were previously reported, but the Daily Mail spoke of ‘thirteen infections, of which eleven with players’. It is not clear what exactly the situation is. The number of positive tests fluctuates as infected players have been in contact with each other in recent days and testing is done daily.
At the press conference prior to Thursday’s game, coach Antonio Conte already showed his support for postponing the game. “Obviously this is a serious problem. Everyone is a little scared. People have families. Why should we take the risk? That’s the question. Who’s next tomorrow? Me? I don’t know. Better I’m a player, sure, but I don’t think it’s good for anyone,” said the coach.
Tottenham would play against Stade Rennes for a place in the knockout stages of the Conference League. UEFA regulations require a team with at least thirteen fit players and a registered goalkeeper to start the match. According to the Daily Mail Tottenham barely has enough players at their disposal to comply with UEFA’s rules, also bearing in mind the suspension of Ryan Sessegnon. As a result, the match could go ahead, but the selection has weakened to such an extent that people hoped for the common sense from UEFA.
Tottenham and Vitesse compete for a place in the knockout phase of the Conference League. The Conte team would compete in-house against the already seeded Stade Rennes, while Vitesse, just like the Spurs on seven points from five matches, plays at home against NS Mura. The goal difference is in favor of Tottenham (+3 versus +1). The results are therefore intertwined, but it seems that Vitesse will play as usual on Thursday evening.