June 15, (THEWILL) – The English Premier League has amended its rescheduling guidelines, allowing postponements only when “player unavailability has a truly exceptional impact on a club’s squad.”
Last season, the EPL was heavily chastised for its confusing rules on match postponements as 21 games were postponed in total, with several of them proving very contentious.
Tottenham Hotspur, for example, said they were “extremely surprised” by the Premier League’s decision to postpone their match against Arsenal in January, and that the club “did not believe” it was fair to award postponements due to absences “unrelated to COVID.”
In their revision of the rules, the EPL statement read: “Ahead of Season 2022-23, the Premier League Board has revised its guidance for match postponements relating to insufficient players. This will replace the previous COVID-19 match postponement guidance, providing a standard process for applications.
“Club requests to the Premier League Board will continue to be considered on their facts and assessed on a case-by-case basis. Approval will only be granted where the impact of player unavailability on a club’s squad is truly exceptional and where the club concerned has taken all reasonable steps to avoid the necessity to make the application.
“The detail within all applications will continue to be scrutinised by the League’s specialist staff before the Board makes its decision. The League’s postponement rules and guidance are designed to protect the wellbeing of players and staff, while maintaining the sporting integrity of the competition and the quality of squads playing League matches.”
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.
