SAN FRANCISCO, January 02, (THEWILL) – Sunday’s English Premier League clash between Burnley and Fulham has been called off. It becomes the latest fixture in the EPL to be postponed as more positive COVID-19 tests have come in for the visitors.
The Matchday 16 tie is the fourth Premier League game to be postponed this season after Fulham’s game against Tottenham Hotspur was called off on Wednesday, December 30 due to COVID-19 cases in the Fulham squad. Spurs manager Jose Mourinho aimed some criticism at the Premier League afterwards, labelling as “unprofessional” the late postponement of the tie.
Similarly, as at Friday, Fulham boss Scott Parker did not know the situation of their game. He was quoted as saying: “I do not know whether the Burnley game will go ahead. Those who tested positive are in isolation. We had a number of positive tests.
“I do not know whether the Burnley game will be played or not. We have retesting over the last few days. We are preparing as best we can to go to Burnley and get some points.”
Ahead of their fixture against Chelsea on Sunday, City boss Pep Guardiola told reporters that he would be without the services of five first-team members of his squad on their trip to Stamford Bridge due to the Coronavirus outbreak at the Etihad. City also reported four positive COVID-19 tests among players and staff on Christmas Day ahead of the postponement of their match against Fulham.
This latest calling off will only add to the general concern of the derailment of the football season as cases spread across different clubs and training grounds putting more players and staff in harm’s way. It will reinforce the position put forward by some managers that the EPL should effect a mid-season break to allow for time to flatten the spike in cases before competitive games can resume.
However, the EPL has insisted on continuing based on the fact that the protocols it has put in place regrading health and safety protocols coupled with regular testing and isolation of infected individuals are proving to be highly effective in keeping the infections from going viral and helping teams stay COVID-19 free.
Yet, if this spate of postponements persists, the EPL may find its hands tied on the subject of putting a hold on proceedings. Until then, the show goes on.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
