The match between Tottenham Hotspur and Stade Rennes is canceled after all. UEFA indicated on Thursday morning that the game would continue ‘as usual’, but let it know half an hour later that the match will be canceled after all. The Spurs announced on Wednesday that the match would not be played due to the corona outbreak at the English club. Stade Rennes then said in a statement that in their eyes the game should just be played.
“The game will go ahead as planned. For more information on Tottenham’s corona situation, the club should be contacted. We will not comment further at this stage,” was the first short statement from which various English media – including The Athletic on The Independent – Thursday morning quoted. However, UEFA has now Sky Sports on The Athleticlet them know that it has been decided to put a line through the game. “We can confirm that the game between Tottenham Hotspur and Stade Rennes will not take place. Further information will follow soon.”
It was announced on Wednesday that eight players and five Tottenham staff members are infected with the corona virus, the reported Daily Mail that the number of infected players would have risen to eleven. Tottenham announced in a statement that the game had been canceled and that message is still online on the English club’s website. Immediately afterwards, it was already reported that a regulation defeat for Tottenham would be a serious option. Tottenham reported that “talks with UEFA” are underway and an “update” would follow, but finding a new date is ostensibly impossible in the coming weeks. Tottenham’s games are scheduled for December 12, December 16, December 19, December 22, December 26, December 28 and January 1. UEFA’s rules dictate that the match be completed in 2021, as the group stages must be completed this calendar year.
The situation became even more complicated when Stade Rennes later in the evening said the decision to cancel the game was ‘unilateral and had not been confirmed in any way by UEFA’. “The lack of fair play is all the more striking as Tottenham informed Rennes on Wednesday afternoon that the game would go ahead. The squad then traveled to London,” Stade Rennes said in a statement. The French club has announced that it is seeking contact with UEFA. Until now, the European Football Association had not made itself heard, but initially announced that the match would continue ‘as usual’. Half an hour later, however, the European Football Association makes a completely different sound: the match between Tottenham and Stade Rennes has been canceled after all.
Tottenham would play against Stade Rennes for a place in the knockout stages of the Conference League. UEFA regulations require a team with at least thirteen fit players and a registered goalkeeper to start the match. According to the Daily Mail, Tottenham barely has enough players at their disposal to comply with UEFA’s rules, including with Ryan Sessegnon’s suspension in mind. As a result, the match could go ahead, but the selection has weakened to such an extent that they hoped for the common sense of UEFA.
Tottenham and Vitesse compete for a place in the knockout phase of the Conference League. The Conte team would compete in-house against the already seeded Stade Rennes, while Vitesse, which, like the Spurs, is on seven points from five matches, plays at home against NS Mura. The goal difference is in favor of Tottenham (+3 versus +1). The results are therefore intertwined, but it seems that Vitesse will play as usual on Thursday evening.
