Tottenham’s match against Fulham has been postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak at the west London side, report Peter Rutzler and Amitai Winehouse.
The Athletic exclusively revealed on Tuesday that the game was in doubt due to the number of positive COVID-19 tests among Fulham’s players and staff.
Tottenham have now confirmed that the game, which was scheduled for Wednesday night, has been called off.
A Premier League statement added that “a number of players” were showing symptoms on Wednesday, amid a “significant” rise in positive COVID-19 cases.
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COVID-19 cases are increasing in Premier League and EFL
Are the Premier League concerned the season will be called off?
No. Their statement said: "With low numbers of positive tests across the overwhelming majority of clubs, the Premier League continues to have full confidence in its COVID-19 protocols and being able to continue to play our fixtures as scheduled."
What did the clubs say?
Tottenham released a statement on Wednesday afternoon. It read: "We can confirm that our Premier League home fixture against Fulham, scheduled to take place this evening (Wednesday 30 December), has been postponed.
"The Premier League informed us of the decision this afternoon, with Fulham having requested the postponement on the grounds of the number of COVID-19 positive cases among their players and staff.
"Everyone at Tottenham Hotspur sends their best wishes to Fulham for a safe and speedy recovery to all those who are affected.
"Details of a new date for the fixture will be confirmed in due course."
What is the COVID-19 situation in the Premier League?
On Tuesday, the Premier League made the decision for its clubs to return to twice-weekly COVID-19 testing because of the increased number of positive tests.
The latest round of testing between December 21-27 resulted in 18 positive COVID-19 tests among players and staff, with a total of 1,479 people tested. The 18 people who have tested positive are all self-isolating in line with government guidelines.
The 18 positive tests is the highest number of positive COVID-19 results reported by the Premier League publicly since weekly testing started.
Has this happened before?
Yes. Tottenham’s match against Fulham is the third Premier League fixture to be postponed because of a COVID-19 outbreak this season.
Two other matches have been postponed this season due to COVID-19 outbreaks at Newcastle United and Manchester City respectively.
Manchester City reported four positive COVID-19 tests among players and staff on December 25 and another three on December 29, forcing the postponement of their match against Everton at Goodison Park. The Athletic understands the three people who returned positive tests are first-team players.
The 2019-20 season was halted for over three months because of the pandemic. The league was suspended in March until 4 April, was then extended to mid-June. The season resumed with two matches on 17 June, with Liverpool eventually winning the title in July.
Has COVID-19 impacted Fulham before?
Yes. Fulham head coach Scott Parker missed the club’s last match at home to Southampton after a member of his household tested positive.
He then went into self-isolation for 10 days and returned to training at Motspur Park on Monday.
What else do I need to know?
For a comprehensive explanation of how football will adapt amid the rise in COVID-19 cases in the UK, Go Deeper with The Athletic’s Philip Buckingham and Greg O’Keeffe below.
(Photo: Frank Augstein – Pool/Getty Images)