He was minus one. 48 hours from the duel between Burnley and Everton, the Premier League finally decided to cancel the meeting, causing a wave of relief among both teams. And for good reason: little spared from injuries and martyred by the Covid which has tirelessly infiltrated its ranks, Everton had only 9 (!) Valid field players left to face Burnley in two days.
A decision that took a long time to arrive since the Premier League clung to its match like a mussel to its rock. She had initially refused to cancel it, as she had also refused to interrupt the season temporarily a few days earlier. Rafa Benitez, the coach of the Toffees, then said “very surprised“, explaining that he “should bring in 5 young players under the age of 21 and that was insane.” Words relayed throughout the British press and which had therefore sounded like an additional warning shot on the already shaky foundations of the Premier League. Reluctantly and estimating his own decision “regrettable“, it therefore finally gave in. A 3rd cancellation (after Liverpool-Leeds and Wolverhampton-Watford), which further weakens a Boxing Day more than ever called into question across the Channel.
Premier League ne sait plus quoi faire"/>
This Boxing Day which, let us remember, is the pride of an entire country. Each winter, while all the other big competitions are in full hibernation and benefit from a well-deserved truce, the British players follow one another without a hit. Between December 26 and January 3, three Premier League fixtures are traditionally scheduled, rallying ardent supporters in the stadiums and shining even more the lucrative media spotlight on the English league. A magical and above all devilishly financially rewarding tradition that has lasted since 1860 (!) and that the Premier League therefore defends like a stray dog would defend its steak.
But at a time when the omicron variant is taking up residence in the four corners of the planet, is this really reasonable? The UK is one of the countries most affected by the infernal variant Omicron and has nearly 87,000 cases daily. The clubs, them, are crumbling under the absences which become more and more burdensome. In the last batch of tests, 90 (!) Players tested positive. 3 Boxing-Day matches have therefore already been canceled, 15 in all over the past few weeks. Manchester United, Tottenham or Leicester, three teams who have seen their Covidian gauge explode, will be on the bridge this weekend.
And while the city of London is canceling its end-of-year festivities one by one, the football stadiums will undoubtedly be filled like an egg to celebrate this famous Boxing Day. Traditionally, all English stadiums are 90% full at Christmas.
Even cut off from three of its ten meetings, Boxing-Day therefore resists (for now) the invader. Like a boxer groggy with an uppercut but who insists on standing. To show the world he’s not flinching. And especially to prove that he is ready to stuff himself a new round … even if it means collapsing even more violently thereafter.
