Spurs out of Europe

TOTTENHAM look set to open their training ground tomorrow following several positive Covid tests which caused the postponement of their last two games.

But while the club is hopeful they will fulfil their Premier League fixture at Leicester on Thursday, they are almost certainly out of the Europa Conference League after UEFA announced there was no chance of replaying last week’s cancelled game against Rennes.

Spurs players were having more Covid tests yesterday and results are due today. If those results are negative, the National Institute for Health Protection will allow the training ground to be reopened, which is a prerequisite for restarting fixtures.

That would allow manager Antonio Conte enough time to prepare for the Leicester match and limit the fixture pile-up, though Spurs will be depleted as they had eight players who tested positive.

But their humiliating foray into the Europa Conference League, the new tournament for non-elite clubs in Europe, looks over, after UEFA revealed Tottenham and Rennes could not find a date to play their cancelled game. UEFA said in a statement: ‘UEFA, in cooperation with the two clubs, tried to find a viable solution in order to reschedule the match. Unfortunately a solution that could work for both clubs could not be found. As a consequence, the match can no longer be played and the matter will, therefore, be referred to the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body for a decision to be taken.’

With Tottenham having asked for the postponement, it is expected UEFA will award a 3-0 win to Rennes, leaving Spurs third in the group and eliminated.

Tottenham still face a fixture backlog but not now being in Europe will help their situation.