London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 01, 2025

Four more Premier League games off

Four more Premier League games off

Half of the weekend's Premier League fixtures are now off after four more games were postponed because of Covid-19 outbreaks.
The latest games affected are Southampton v Brentford, Watford v Crystal Palace, West Ham v Norwich and Everton v Leicester.

Earlier on Thursday, Manchester United's match with Brighton on Saturday was called off, along with Leicester City's game with Tottenham on Thursday, which is part of the league's midweek programme.

On Wednesday Brentford boss Thomas Frank called for this weekend's top-flight fixtures to be postponed to let clubs deal with the outbreaks but the Premier League is so far resisting that.

"All other fixtures due to be played this weekend are currently scheduled to proceed as planned," it said in a statement.

Liverpool players Fabinho, Curtis Jones and Virgil van Dijk will also miss Thursday's match with Newcastle after suspected positive tests, although manager Jurgen Klopp said that the club did not ask for a postponement.

"Honestly, I think at one point we have to make clear what exactly the rules are, but of course with three players out and this squad we wouldn't have asked to not play a football game," he told BT Sport.

Thursday's other match between Chelsea and Everton is set to go ahead despite four of the London side's players testing positive - Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi and the injured Ben Chilwell.

A total of nine top-flight matches have been cancelled over the past week, the others being Tottenham's match against Brighton last Sunday, Brentford's game with Manchester United on Tuesday and Burnley's match against Watford on Wednesday.

The Premier League said there was "an increase in positive Covid-19 cases" at Leicester on Thursday, while Manchester United have an ongoing outbreak.

United said they would also suspend training at their Carrington base for "a short period to help reduce risk of further transmission".

The club added in a statement: "The health of players and staff is our priority. Given the number of players and support staff having to isolate due to Covid-19, the club had no option other than to request the match be rearranged.

"We regret any disappointment and inconvenience caused to fans by the postponement."

Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers said on Wednesday that an initial request to cancel their game with Tottenham had been rejected, with the club expecting to be without nine players because of Covid-related issues and injuries.

Spurs also wanted the game postponed to use the date to play their Europa Conference League game with Rennes, which was called off last week after a Covid outbreak.

"In light of the new information, Leicester applied [on Thursday] for the fixture to be called off due to an ongoing outbreak within the squad, which has resulted in more players and staff testing positive for Covid-19 today," read a Premier League statement.

"This has left the club with an insufficient number of players available to fulfil the game."

A Leicester statement read: "Given the increase in positive tests among first-team personnel, first-team operations at Seagrave [training ground] will now be closed for 48 hours, serving as a circuit breaker to help reduce the risk of further infection.

"First-team players and staff will undergo a subsequent round of testing on Saturday."

The Premier League added: "Regarding Manchester United's game on Saturday [against Brighton], the club continues to have an ongoing Covid-19 outbreak within their squad, which has left them unable to field a team for the match at Old Trafford.

"A significant number of Covid-19 cases led to their game against Brentford being called off earlier this week, and today [Thursday] additional positive tests have been confirmed."

Brighton boss Graham Potter questioned how long "football can continue on the path it's on" after revealing his Covid-hit team wanted Wednesday's game against Wolves, which they lost 1-0, to be postponed.

The Premier League said it "assesses applications on a case-by-case basis" and decisions are "based on existing rules and Covid-19 postponement guidance issued to all clubs".

It added: "[The board] will assess a number of factors, including the ability of a club to field a team; the status, severity and potential impact of the Covid-19 outbreak at the club; and the ability of the players to safely prepare for and play the match.

"The board must also consider the wider risks to the opposition and other people the club may come into contact with."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
×