Jose Mourinho reacted sarcastically to events surrounding the Premier League’s decision to postpone Fulham’s visit to Tottenham on Wednesday, less than four hours before kick-off.
The Spurs manager posted an Instagram video showing him slumped in an armchair at the team’s pre-match hotel while waiting for league officials to decide whether to agree to Fulham’s request for the postponement due to a Covid-19 outbreak in their camp.
Mourinho accompanied the post with the sarcastic caption: “Match at 6pm… We still don’t know if we play. Best league in the world.”
On a day of yet more uncertainty and chaos surrounding the increased impact the virus is having on the sport, Tottenham were more sympathetic with their official response.
A club statement read: “The Premier League informed us of the decision this afternoon, with Fulham having requested the postponement on the grounds of the number of COVID-19 positive cases among their players and staff.
“Everyone at Tottenham Hotspur sends their best wishes to Fulham for a safe and speedy recovery to all those who are affected. Details of a new date for the fixture will be confirmed in due course.”
The Premier League, meanwhile, remained bullish about the situation and the prospects of fixtures continuing.
A statement read: “With low numbers of positive tests across the overwhelming majority of clubs, the Premier League continues to have full confidence in its COVID-19 protocols and being able to continue to play our fixtures as scheduled.”
The latest development followed the postponement of Manchester City’s visit to Everton on Monday, due to an outbreak in Pep Guardiola’s squad.
Sheffield United also reported multiple positive tests on Tuesday, including two players, although their fixture at Burnley proceeded that evening.
That had led to calls for a temporary two-week hiatus for English football, a so-called “circuit breaker,” which has been championed by West Brom manager Sam Allardyce.
Speaking after his side’s 5-0 loss to Leeds, 66-year-old Allardyce claimed safety is paramount given the rise in cases across the UK, with the majority of England expected to be placed under the toughest tier four restrictions after the official number of new daily cases soared past 50,000 for the first time.
“Everyone’s safety is more important than anything else,” he said. “When I listen to the news the variant virus transmits quicker than the original virus [so] we can only do the right thing which is have a circuit break.
“I am 66 years old and the last thing I want to do is catch Covid. I’m very concerned for myself and football in general. If that’s what needs to be done we need to do it. We had one positive this week and it seems to be creeping around no matter how hard we try.”
Fulham’s visit to Burnley on Sunday, as well as City’s clash at Chelsea the same day, are both in jeopardy although City resumed training on Wednesday following confirmation there had been no new positive cases after further testing took place the day before.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2WWwQFT
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