Premier League Will Change Game Postponement Regulations

DBasia.news – The Premier League has been flooded with criticism after delaying several games this season. The postponement of some of those games is not all in question, but there are delays that should not be made.

An example of that is the North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. The game should not have been postponed, but the Premier League granted Arsenal’s request which was criticized immediately after.

Arsenal allegedly ‘manipulate’ the regulations and use it to ask for a delay. Arsenal reasoned that there was a shortage of players, even though it happened because players were injured and absent because of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, not because of the corona virus.

Mikel Arteta of course defended Arsenal and replied to the criticism.

“We don’t have the players needed to put out a squad to compete in Premier League games, 100 per cent,” Arteta told BBC Sport.

“This is a situation with no solution. When we played the first three games of the season when other games were stopped, we lost and were called naive. Now we postponed the game for all the right reasons, believe me, and we got this reaction?”

Premier League Consider Changing Regulations

As reported by BBC Sport, the Premier League is considering changing the regulations which will be active from 8 February. The change was needed for clarity even though it is now too late with so many games postponed.

“Yes (change of regulation), but you have to do it from the beginning,” added Arteta.

“It’s complicated. Everyone has to try to do the right thing and if we have to change things, then let’s change them, but let’s all act the same way.”

What’s unique about this rule is that clubs can resume matches if they have a goalkeeper and 13 outfield players available, but injured players who are on duty with the national team are still among those absent and can be used as grounds for submitting a postponement proposal.

“They had good intentions at the time, but to have a situation where a club applies for a postponement of a game with only one or two positive cases of Covid is never the intent of the law,” Christian Purslow, CEO of Aston Villa, told the Times.

“I have asked the Premier League to review the situation and I hope it happens as a matter of urgency.”