Tottenham Hotspur say they are “extremely surprised” at the decision to call off Sunday’s Premier League derby at home to Arsenal.
Arsenal’s request to postpone the game, as they did not have enough players, was granted on Saturday.
Premier League rules say clubs can apply for postponements if Covid-19 is a factor in teams having fewer than 13 players and a goalkeeper available.
Spurs believe there are now “unintended consequences” of this rule.
“This follows an application from Arsenal to the Premier League on the basis of a combination of Covid, existing and recent injuries and players on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.
“We are extremely surprised that this application has been approved,” Tottenham said in a statement.
“The original intention of the guidance was to deal with player availability directly affected by Covid cases, resulting in depleted squads that when taken together with injuries would result in the club being unable to field a team.
“We do not believe it was the intent to deal with player availability unrelated to Covid.
“We may now be seeing the unintended consequences of this rule. It is important to have clarity and consistency on the application of the rule.”
(BBC Sport)
