Covid-19 outbreak causes chaos in Premier League

Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur is in the middle of a health crisis due to a massive outbreak of novel coronavirus infections. More than a year after the pandemic first broke out, cases are on the rise once again in Europe, and Tottenham is so far the most severely affected football club in the UK.

The situation came to light on Thursday, when the Europa Conference League match between Tottenham and Rennes was called off. At the time, eight players and five staff members were reported to have tested positive for Covid-19.

After that, the Spurs have determined that they will be unable to play their Premier League match against Brighton on Sunday. The fixture has officially been postponed, with the current number of infections among players and staff unknown. It is not clear if more people were infected following the most recent count on Thursday.

The London club's first-team training centre has been closed since Wednesday, and every staff member and player is being closely monitored by the club's medical team.

The Premier League Board had to convene for a meeting on Thursday, after it became clear that the number of infections within the club will make it impossible for them to play on Sunday and possibly even longer. In a statement, Tottenham said: "The Premier League Board has taken the decision to postpone the game following guidance from medical advisers, with the health of players and staff the priority."

The situation harks back to the start of the pandemic in 2020, when football matches all over the globe had to be cancelled or postponed due to the onset of the pandemic. Now, even with most players and staff assumed to be fully vaccinated, a rise in infections throughout Europe has not spared the Premier League.

Before the Tottenham outbreak, other cases of infections have also been reported in other clubs throughout the continent in recent weeks.

The postponed fixture will be rescheduled in due course, but the Premier League must prepare for the possibility of even more interruptions. It has proven to be very difficult to curb the spread of infection, and other clubs may soon suffer the same fate. However, players and their families are not keen on being put under restrictions once more, especially during the holidays.

In light of the situation, the club said, "We should like to apologise to everyone at Stade Rennais and Brighton & Hove Albion and to both their supporters and ours for any inconvenience caused. We should also like to thank both clubs for their understanding during these challenging times."

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte admitted in a press conference that they are feeling a bit scared due to the outbreak of cases within the club. It remains to be seen if the Premier League will resort to more drastic safety measures.