Explained: How the EFL's postponement rules work
Sunderland's game against Fleetwood Town on January 2nd has been postponed after the visitors informed the EFL that they were unable to fulfil the fixture.
In a statement on Tuesday the club said: "The club has worked hard to ensure that it has been able to fulfil the fixture, however, taking into account the number of injuries and positive Covid-19 cases within the squad, the club does not have a sufficient number of players available in order to fulfil the fixture."
It is the first Sunderland game to be affected by Covid-19 this season, but postponements have been made regular elsewhere over recent weeks as the Omicron variant surges across the country.
So what do the EFL rules say about postponing games and how would Sunderland proceed were they to have a larger outbreak?
Here, we run you through everything you need to know…
So what are the rules and how does the process actually work?
Amid rising cases across the footballing pyramid, the EFL recently issued an updated directive on when games should continue, and when postponements would be permitted.
The statement said: "In the wake of recent EFL fixture postponements due to Covid-19 cases at clubs, the EFL has also provided guidance on non-fulfilment of fixtures, confirming that Clubs will be expected to play where it has 14 players including a goalkeeper available from the club’s registered squad list, Under-21 players not on the squad list but have played one League match, or any other contracted player not on the squad list but otherwise would have been eligible to play.
"The EFL will assist clubs in their deliberations."
This means clubs do not have to field academy players to fulfil fixtures, providing they have not yet made a senior league appearance.
The list of players absent would also include anyun vaccinated player forced to isolate after being identified as a close
contact.
What' s Sunderland' s currentC ovid -19 situation-and who counts as an eligible player?
As of Monday afternoon, Sunderland had three cases in total.
Aiden O'Brien, Ellis Taylor and Jordan Willis had all returnedpositive results, but the rest of the squad had remained unaffected.
Lee Johnson is likely to provide an update this afternoon ahead of the game at Sheffield Wednesday on Thursday night, which is currently scheduled to take place as planned.
Un de rEFLrul es, the current list of eligible Sunderland players is listed below. This included the players under the age of 21 who have made at least one league appearance.
If less than 13 of these players( including one goal keeper)were available due to either Covid-19 or injuries, Sunderland would be permitted to request a postponement of fixtures.
Kenton Richardson, Josh
Hawkes, Jack Diamond and Will Grigg are all registered on the squad list, but are currently out on loan.
Accounting for current injuries, Sunderland currently have a pool of 20 players to select from (depending on the severity of the injury Carl Winchester picked up ahead of the Doncaster game): Nathan Broadhead, Lee Burge, Elliot Embleton, Corry Evans; Tom Flanagan, Lyn den Gooch, Thorben Hoffmann, Frederik Alves, Aiden McGeady, Aiden O'Brien, Luke O'Nien, Alex Pritchard, Ross Stewart, Jordan Willis, Carl Winchester, Bailey Wright, Arbenit Xhemajli, Oliver Younger, Anthony Patterson, Dan Neil, Benji Kimpioka, Niall Huggins, Will Harris, Callum Doyle, Dennis Cirkin, Leon Dajaku, Denver Hume.
Are there penalties for teams who postpone games?
It depends on the circumstances.
The EFL has recently told clubs to move back to daily testing and the 'red' training ground protocols. These include a number of preventative measures to limit the risk of exposure to the virus, specifically in limiting the amount of time players spend around each other in indoor areas.
Any team that is forced to postpone a game is then subject to an EFL investigation, to determine whether all protocols have been followed correctly.
If not, then a fine could be issued. The results of previous investigations have not been made public by the EFL, who have also said in the past week that all current investigations will take into account the inc rea sedtr an sm is si bi lit y of the Omicron variant.
AFC Wimbledon this week heavily criticised the EFL's approach, writing in an open letter: "We are writing to openly express our disappointment over the recent spate of matches that member clubs have been unable to fulfil.
“We also want to take this opportunity to call on the EFL to undertake its due processes and implement the strongest possible measures to ensure that-where a club is able to fulfil a fixture-it does so.
“Further, where it is found that a club was unable to fulfil a fixture, they must be held to account for all decisions which led to that position.
"It just doesn’ t sit right that, having gone above and beyond our means to ensure matches can be fulfilled, we will now be at a disadvantage - trying to navigate a very congested second half of the season with a small squad.
"Meanwhile, clubs with larger squads will have the upper hand, having been providedthe opportunity to take a more relaxed approach knowing there will be no penalties for conduct that sits outside of the protocols.”
They also called for the reintroduction of five substitutes per game, which was in place last year but abandoned at the start of this season.
It was reintroduced by the EFL in the Carabao Cup ahead of Sunderland's quarter final at Arsenal, but has not been reintroduced to regular EFL fixtures.