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EFL: “Discussions are ongoing among relevant stakeholders regarding the implications of the decision not to play tonight’s game and a further update will be provided in due course.”
By Blake Welton
Last Updated: 09/22/20 5:05 pm
1:53
Leyton Orient owner Nigel Travis says the club should not lose the Carabao Cup match against Tottenham
Tottenham’s Carabao Cup match at Leyton Orient is canceled due to positive coronavirus tests at the League Two club, and Orient owner Nigel Travis criticized the decision, warning that it may encourage clubs not to test. to the players.
Orient was scheduled to host the Premier League team on Tuesday night, live Sky sportsbut they were forced to suspend play and close their Breyer Group stadium and training ground until further notice.
The tests, paid for by Tottenham, were held after the O’s 2-2 draw at Mansfield on Saturday.
“Discussions are ongoing between relevant stakeholders regarding the implications of the decision not to play tonight’s match and a further update will be provided in due course,” the English Football League (EFL) said in a communicated Tuesday afternoon.
Leyton Orient draw with Tottenham in Carabao Cup postponed
“Leyton Orient, the EFL and the relevant authorities are conducting a comprehensive review of the club’s Covid-19 security procedures with a view to reopening the stadium and training ground as soon as possible.”
EFL clubs no longer have to do mandatory coronavirus testing of their players and staff weekly this season, as is still the case in the Premier League.
Both Plymouth Argyle, whom Orient beat in last week’s Carabao Cup second-round tie, and last Saturday’s league rival Mansfield issued statements Monday saying they will take an additional round of testing as a measure. precautionary.
1:47 Highlights from the Sky Bet League Two match between Leyton Orient and Mansfield
Given Tottenham’s tight match schedule, with a Europa League draw on Thursday in Macedonia and possibly another next week if they triumph in Shkendija, the Premier League side also have little room to rearrange the third-round draw.
The fourth round of the tournament will take place the week beginning September 28, with either Leyton Orient or Tottenham set to face the winner of the game between Chelsea and Barnsley.
There is a growing feeling among some Premier League clubs that cup competitions involving teams outside the Premier League and the Championship are a risk due to the lack of testing in those divisions.
Leyton Orient’s draw with Tottenham in the Carabao Cup was postponed after several players tested positive for coronavirus
The cup tie was to be an emotional event for the two clubs given the connection of the late Justin Edinburgh, who died last June at the age of 49 after a cardiac arrest.
Edinburgh won the FA Cup and League Cup at Spurs in the 1990s before turning to management and guiding the O’s to the National League title in April 2019.
Tottenham announced plans to auction off signed and worn shirts from the Leyton Orient game in aid of the Justin Edinburgh Foundation.
East owner: Spurs’ goodbye is not an option
It had been speculated that Tottenham would be given a goodbye
Leyton Orient owner Nigel Travis told Sky Sports:
“We have told the [Football] League [that the game has to go ahead at some point]. I have said it publicly and I reiterate it here: we believe that the appropriate action is for this game to take place. Can you imagine the outrage if we say in the fourth round, Spurs vs Chelsea … one of those teams was affected in the same way and the game did not take place?
“Can you imagine the outrage you would hear in Sky sports and on radio stations? Clearly, this is not good policy. Leyton Orient has followed all the guidelines and done the right things. If we don’t play the game and are forced to lose it, it’s a demonstration that doing the right thing doesn’t work.
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“It is an incentive for people not to test, and that will only create a worse situation in the world of football and in the UK in general. I would encourage everyone to think about this and allow us to play the game. We have to see a bit. flexibility and the Spurs were ready to play four games this week anyway.With a flexible schedule, we can play this game.
“The most important point, and this extends far beyond Leyton Orient, is that you cannot incentivize people not to take the test, and this is the result of what will happen. And it may well be that the problems that we have with Covid in our club were caused by reasons beyond our control.
“We are being punished and I would recommend more tests because we should not incentivize people not to take the test.”
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