London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jan 21, 2026

Chairman says Orient 'can't be punished'

Chairman says Orient 'can't be punished'

Leyton Orient's chairman says they "can't be punished" after Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie against Tottenham was called off because a number of O's players have coronavirus.


League Two club Leyton Orient have made an unbeaten start to the 2020-21 campaign

Several of the squad tested positive after Saturday's draw with Mansfield.

This season, English Football League clubs do not have to do mandatory coronavirus tests on players and staff.

"If I was doing this again I would not do the testing," Orient chairman Mark Travis told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"This is an incentive not to test and that is bad for football and bad for health and safety."

League Two side Orient have been doing medical questionnaires every morning and said they would pay for testing to be done before Tuesday's cup tie, but Premier League opponents Spurs offered to cover the cost.

"That's why we can't be punished over this," Travis added. "People should be incentivised to take the test, especially when Premier League clubs with their resources give us the opportunity to have all our players tested."

Discussions are ongoing over the implications of not holding the third-round match on Tuesday, with a further update to be provided in due course.

Tottenham are in action in the Europa League on Thursday.

The decision to call off the match was announced two hours before the scheduled 18:00 BST kick-off at the Breyer Group Stadium.

Orient shut down their east London home and training ground after receiving the positive results following their league match against the Stags at the weekend, and held discussions with Public Health England about whether any further action needed to be taken.

This season, English Football League (EFL) clubs do not have to carry out mandatory coronavirus testing of their players and staff.

"Leyton Orient, the EFL and the relevant authorities are conducting a thorough review of the club's Covid-19 secure procedures with the view to reopening the stadium and training ground as soon as possible," a statement said.

There is little room to rearrange the tie, with the fourth round of the EFL Cup scheduled to take place next week.

Last week's draw handed Orient or Spurs a home tie against Chelsea or Barnsley.

Tottenham face Shkendija in the third qualifying round of the Europa League in North Macedonia on Thursday and, if they progress, the north London club will have a play-off match to qualify for the group stage seven days later.

Tuesday's match was set to be the first competitive meeting between Orient and Tottenham since January 2001.

Spurs had previously announced they would donate their match shirts to the foundation set up in memory of their former player Justin Edinburgh.

Edinburgh was manager at Orient when he died at the age of 49 after suffering a cardiac arrest in June 2019.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
AI Everywhere: Power, Money, War, and the Race to Control the Future
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Arctic Power Grab: Security Chessboard or Climate Crime Scene?
Starmer Steps Back from Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Amid Strained US–UK Relations
Prince Harry’s Lawyer Tells UK Court Daily Mail Was Complicit in Unlawful Privacy Invasions
UK Government Approves China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London Amid Debate Over Security and Diplomacy
Trump Cites UK’s Chagos Islands Sovereignty Shift as Justification for Pursuing Greenland Acquisition
UK Government Weighs Australia-Style Social Media Ban for Under-Sixteens Amid Rising Concern Over Online Harm
Trump Aides Say U.S. Has Discussed Offering Asylum to British Jews Amid Growing Antisemitism Concerns
UK Seeks Diplomatic De-escalation with Trump Over Greenland Tariff Threat
Prince Harry Returns to London as High Court Trial Begins Over Alleged Illegal Tabloid Snooping
High-Speed Train Collision in Southern Spain Kills at Least Twenty-One and Injures Scores
Meghan Markle May Return to the U.K. This Summer as Security Review Advances
Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat Sparks EU Response and Risks Deep Transatlantic Rift
Prince Harry’s High Court Battle With Daily Mail Publisher Begins in London
Trump’s Tariff Escalation Presents Complex Challenges for the UK Economy
UK Prime Minister Starmer Rebukes Trump’s Greenland Tariff Strategy as Transatlantic Tensions Rise
Prince Harry’s Last Press Case in UK Court Signals Potential Turning Point in Media and Royal Relations
OpenAI to Begin Advertising in ChatGPT in Strategic Shift to New Revenue Model
GDP Growth Remains the Most Telling Barometer of Britain’s Economic Health
Prince William and Kate Middleton Stay Away as Prince Harry Visits London Amid Lingering Rift
Britain Braces for Colder Weather and Snow Risk as Temperatures Set to Plunge
Mass Protests Erupt as UK Nears Decision on China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London
Prince Harry to Return to UK to Testify in High-Profile Media Trial Against Associated Newspapers
Keir Starmer Rejects Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat as ‘Completely Wrong’
Trump to hit Europe with 10% tariffs until Greenland deal is agreed
Prince Harry Returns to UK High Court as Final Privacy Trial Against Daily Mail Publisher Begins
Britain Confronts a Billion-Pound Wind Energy Paradox Amid Grid Constraints
The graduate 'jobpocalypse': Entry-level jobs are not shrinking. They are disappearing.
Cybercrime, Inc.: When Crime Becomes an Economy. How the World Accidentally Built a Twenty-Trillion-Dollar Criminal Economy
The Return of the Hands: Why the AI Age Is Rewriting the Meaning of “Real Work”
UK PM Kier Scammer Ridicules Tories With "Kamasutra"
Strategic Restraint, Credible Force, and the Discipline of Power
United Kingdom and Norway Endorse NATO’s ‘Arctic Sentry’ Mission Including Greenland
Woman Claiming to Be Freddie Mercury’s Secret Daughter Dies at Forty-Eight After Rare Cancer Battle
UK Launches First-Ever ‘Town of Culture’ Competition to Celebrate Local Stories and Boost Communities
Planned Sale of Shell and Exxon’s UK Gas Assets to Viaro Energy Collapses Amid Regulatory and Market Hurdles
UK Intensifies Arctic Security Engagement as Trump’s Greenland Rhetoric Fuels Allied Concern
Meghan Markle Could Return to the UK for the First Time in Nearly Four Years If Security Is Secured
Meghan Markle Likely to Return to UK Only if Harry Secures Official Security Cover
UAE Restricts Funding for Emiratis to Study in UK Amid Fears Over Muslim Brotherhood Influence
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks to Safeguard Long-Term Agreement Stability
Starmer’s Push to Rally Support for Action Against Elon Musk’s X Faces Setback as Canada Shuns Ban
UK Free School Meals Expansion Faces Political and Budgetary Delays
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks With Britain
Germany Hit by Major Airport Strikes Disrupting European Travel
Prince Harry Seeks King Charles’ Support to Open Invictus Games on UK Return
×