Rovers boss slams City’s game ‘joke’
BLACKBURN Rovers boss Jon Dahl Tomasson has described the uncertainty surrounding his team’s Championship fixture against Coventry City as a “mess” and a “bit of a joke”.
Coventry released a statement at the end of last week revealing they have had to look for potential alternative venues for Tuesday’s home match against Blackburn, after stadium owners Wasps went into administration and Arena Coventry Ltd was given until Monday to find a buyer or risk following suit.
The Sky Blues issued a fresh update on Monday morning, in which they stated they were “increasingly positive” about being able to host the match at the CBS Arena as planned. And confirmation of that fact arrived in the early afternoon, the day before the game.
“Coventry City are very pleased to confirm that Tuesday night’s game against Blackburn Rovers will take place at the Coventry Building Society Arena,” said the club in a statement. “This follows constant dialogue over the past few days with Arena Coventry Limited and Coventry City Council, and we thank both parties for their support in enabling us to play the game at the Arena tomorrow.
“We thank Sky Blues supporters for their patience and understanding in this matter, and also the EFL as well as Blackburn Rovers and their fans. Tuesday’s matchday operation and ticketing etc will be as per normal, and we look forward to welcoming fans to the Arena. We will continue to communicate with fans regarding the situation at the Arena as and when we are able to do so.”
Speaking before confirmation of the venue had arrived, Tomasson said: “It is a bit of a mess, isn’t it, to be honest? I think it’s at Coventry now, which is good for those people that had booked hotels.
“Of course not knowing 24 hours before or a little bit more is not how we want to sell our product. Football is for our supporters and they have to travel in the midweek, it’s more expensive and they don’t know what to do.
“Hopefully, there will be more now who can be behind the team. Maybe Coventry should give them all a pint of lager because I think they deserve that. It’s a bit of a joke.”