2 EPL games postponed by virus
Coronavirus outbreaks at Leeds and Watford have led to two Premier League matches scheduled for Sunday being postponed in the latest disruption to the competition caused by cases rising in squads.
Leeds was set to travel to Liverpool and Watford was set to play at Wolverhampton as part of the Boxing Day program that still features seven games.
The Premier League has called off 12 matches because of coronavirus issues in two weeks, with players having to isolate after testing positive or if they are unvaccinated and a close contact of a COVID-19 case.
“The league is aware that the decision to postpone these two matches will disappoint supporters and understands their frustrations at a special time of year when fans look forward to attending and watching football games,” the Premier League said in a statement Thursday.
The Leeds training ground has been closed to contain the spread of the coronavirus, with five new positive cases among the squad and staff reported Thursday.
“All of the cases we have experienced are asymptomatic, which we believe is due to our high vaccine take-up,” Leeds said. “The positive cases, combined with our well-documented injury issues, means that we would not have enough recognized first-team players to meet the Premier League requirements for the fixture.”
Watford told the league that with players coming out of isolation, it expects to be able to play West Ham on Tuesday.
After recording a record 90 positive cases last week, the Premier League urged players to get vaccinated with 16% yet to receive a single dose. Though more than 90% of players in the Italian and Spanish leagues have been fully vaccinated, the Premier League said Monday that 77% of its players were double jabbed.
African Cup woes: African Cup of Nations organizers insist the tournament will begin as planned in Cameroon despite the fast-spreading omicron variant adding to an extensive list of concerns.
Perhaps the biggest doubts now are when national teams will have their full 28-man squads to prepare for Africa’s biggest football event early next month.
European clubs have been threatening not to send any players at all after raising doubts about coronavirus health protocols put in place by the Confederation of African Football.
Now the organization representing the world’s leading domestic leagues says teams shouldn’t have to release players until Jan. 3, a week later than stipulated by FIFA and only six days before the tournament begins.