Wednesday’s Premier League clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham was postponed after the Cottagers reported “a series of positive COVID-19 tests”, according to a report by The Athletic.
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After the Premier League recorded its highest number of COVID-19 cases in the most recent round of testing, there were requests for a two-week ‘breaker’ break for games in January due to the rise in cases across the UK.
Tottenham issued a statement a few hours before the start of the game to confirm the postponement.
“We can confirm that our Premier League home game against Fulham, scheduled for tonight (Wednesday, December 30), has been postponed. The Premier League informed us of the decision this afternoon, with Fulham requesting the postponement based on the number of positive cases of COVID-19 among its players and team. Everyone at Tottenham Hotspur sends his best wishes to Fulham for a quick and safe recovery for all those affected. Details of a new date for the game will be confirmed in due course. “
Tottenham – Fulham is now the third Premier League to be postponed during the 2020-21 season due to a COVID-19 outbreak, as Aston Villa – Newcastle was canceled in early December and Everton – Manchester City was delayed on Monday due to an outbreak in the city.
Tottenham coach José Mourinho posted a video on his Instagram less than four hours before the scheduled start for Tottenham – Fulham, with the caption: “Play at 6pm … We still don’t know if we’re going to play. Best league in the world. “
As for the Premier League as a whole, more positive cases were confirmed today (18, with at least three clubs reporting cases) than on any other day during the pandemic. As a result, the Premier League is considering taking a two-week break in an attempt to stem the tide of positive cases.
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Sheffield United also announced several positive cases of COVID-19 on Monday, with the Premier League reverting to testing twice a week after the spike in cases in England.
This news arrives shortly after the latest results from the Premier League COVID-19 test are released, with 18 positive results from 1,479 players and employees tested between December 21 and 27.
That number is the highest number of positive test results this season, but the 1.22 percent rate of positive results is slightly lower than the 16 cases found in the November 9-15 test window, which came out at 1.33 percent in positive results.