Spurs vs Arsenal postponed? Gunners file official postponement request for the PL Gameweek 22 fixture
Arsenal had requested on Friday for the North London derby against Spurs to be postponed, citing a depleted squad due to COVID-19 cases, injuries and some players participating at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. To see if the fixture will indeed be played at a later date, we at Alley Sport take a look at the latest news on the Spurs vs Arsenal postponed game date and other details from this Gameweek 22 fixture in the Premier League 21/22 season.
Spurs vs Arsenal postponed- Why did the Gunners request postponement?
Arsenal are just one of the many clubs to be recently hit with a wave of the new COVID variant in their camp. As such, included in Arsenal’s absences at the moment are midfielder Martin Odegaard, who has tested positive for the virus, and Mohamed Elneny, Thomas Partey, Nicolas Pepe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who are competing at the Africa Cup of Nations. Granit Xhaka was already ruled out of Sunday’s match after picking up a red card in the Liverpool match, and Cedric Soares, Bukayo Saka and Calum Chambers all sustained injuries.
After such a big turmoil, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had stated postponement was a “possibility” on Thursday after he was left with just 12 fit outfield players. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the Gunners filed an official postponement request for the PL Gameweek 22 fixture against Tottenham Hotspur at their rivals’ stadium.
Spurs vs Arsenal postponed- What is the postponement criteria?
Premier League rules state that teams must fulfil fixtures if they have 14 players, 13 outfield squad members and a goalkeeper, available to play. Despite official rules stating so, exceptions have been made this season due to the COVID pandemic hitting almost every club in the land.
According to the above stated criteria, as Arsenal have only 12 squad members available to play against Tottenham, their request for postponement is valid. However, the controversy emerges from the fact that some clubs have failed to have games postponed in recent weeks because their absences have been largely due to injuries rather than COVID, with Arsenal also in a similar situation.
Spurs vs Arsenal postponed- The Verdict
A Premier League statement released on Saturday, 15th January 2022 read, “Following a request from Arsenal FC, the Premier League board met today and regrettably agreed to postpone the club’s away fixture against Tottenham Hotspur, due to be played at 4:30 pm GMT on Sunday, Jan. 16. With Arsenal having fewer than the required number of players available for the match (13 outfield players and one goalkeeper), the board accepted the club’s application.”
The Tottenham hierarchy are understood to be angry at the thought of the game being postponed as they believe there is not currently a coronavirus outbreak at Arsenal. It is the third time this season Spurs have had a Premier League fixture postponed due to COVID, while it is the second match Arsenal have had called off – but the first at their request. It remains to be seen when this clash vital to the top 4 battle is rescheduled for.
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