Pranav Nair
Manchester United to not be awarded Carabao Cup semifinal despite Covid outbreak at Manchester City
According to MEN, Manchester United will not receive a forfeit in the Carabao Cup semifinals against Manchester City to be held on 6th January.
This after the Sky Blues reported a Covid outbreak in their squad ahead of the Premier League tie against Everton. The match was eventually postponed much to Everton’s dismay.
City have since confirmed that their training ground will remain closed for a period of time in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.
According to a statement released by the club, affected City players and staff will observe a period of self-isolation in accordance with the Premier League and UK Government protocol on quarantine.
City’s plight has called into question their upcoming matches against Chelsea and United. They were supposed to play the Blues at the weekend before facing us next Wednesday.
Both games fall within the 10-day self-isolation period for anyone who tests positive. For now, it is unclear whether the matches will take place.
This uncertainty is not in line with what Leyton Orient had to undergo in the third round of the competition. The O’s were forced to forfeit their tie against Tottenham Hotspur following an outbreak of the virus at the club.
EFL Cup laws state that the rule forcing clubs to withdraw from the competition if they cannot fulfil a fixture was only in place until the fourth round. (h/t MEN)
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The semifinal now looks likely to be played at a later date. Given that we already have an extra Premier League game to be accommodated, the addition of yet another match could hand us an extremely busy schedule in the new year.
It was known before going into the current season that Covid outbreaks could impact the footballing season. Given the situation, it is questionable as to why the rule forcing clubs to withdraw was not carried over beyond the fourth round.
