UEFA confirm Tottenham vs Rennes will not be played

UEFA have confirmed that Tottenham vs Rennes in the Europa Conference League cannot be played and will be referred to a disciplinary panel to decide the result.

The game was initially scheduled for Thursday 9 December, however it was called off after Spurs' squad was decimated by an outbreak of Covid-19.

As per UEFA directives, the game would have had to be played before the close of the year but despite all the parties best efforts, a suitable date could not be found.

"Following a COVID-19 outbreak in the team of Tottenham Hotspur FC ahead of the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage match against Stade Rennais FC, scheduled to take place on 9 December 2021 in London, the match could not take place," a statement read.

"In accordance with Annex J of the UEFA Europa Conference League regulations, UEFA, in cooperation with the two clubs tried to find a viable solution in order to reschedule the match, so as to ensure the group stage could be completed accordingly.

"Unfortunately, despite all efforts, a solution that could work for both clubs could not be found. As a consequence, the match can no longer be played and the matter will, therefore, be referred to the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body for a decision to be taken in accordance with Annex J of the above-mentioned competition regulations."

The news will likely come as a relief for Tottenham as they are already facing a frustrating fixture backlog in the Premier League. Prior to their coronavirus outbreak which caused Sunday's meeting with Brighton to be canned, a trip to Turf Moor was postponed due to bad weather.

Thursday's fixture against Leicester City is also expected to be cancelled, unless Spurs return a significant number of negative Covid-19 tests beforehand.

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