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| ▲ In this Reuters photo, Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur (L) celebrates his goal against Norwich City with teammates Lucas Moura (C) and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg during a Premier League match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Dec. 5, 2021. (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Yonhap) -- Tottenham Hotspur, where South Korean footballer Son Heung-min plays as a forward, has postponed all its matches for the UEFA Champions League due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
"We can confirm that our UEFA Europa Conference League Group G home fixture against Stade Rennais will not take place tomorrow (Thursday 9 December at 8pm UK) after a number of positive COVID-19 cases at the Club," Tottenham said Thursday (KST), "Discussions are ongoing with UEFA and we shall provide a further update on this fixture in due course."
"Additionally, following discussions with the Health Security Agency (formerly Public Health England) and DCMS advisers, the Club has been advised to close the First Team area of its Training Centre at this time, in the interests of the health and safety of players and staff," the club added.
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| ▲ This photo captured from Tottenham Hotspur’s official website, shows the football club’s official statement. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
"Eight players and five staff members were confirmed to have contracted the virus. More players are testing positive every day," Tottenham coach Antonio Conte said during an official press conference before the match was canceled.
Tottenham, which earned a 3-0 Premier League victory over Norwich City on Dec. 5, was set to play the sixth Group G match against Rennais at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, at 5 a.m. on Dec. 10.
However, from Dec. 6, local media reports began to emerge, stating that many players and coaches from the club tested positive for COVID-19.
While Tottenham did not make an official statement before, the club soon announced the postponement of the match against Rennais, explaining COVID-19 to be the reason of delaying the game.
Football Insider, a British sports media outlet, reported on Dec. 7 that Son was one of the players with COVID-19, however the Tottenham did not disclose any specific names of players who tested positive.
In addition to Son, Emerson Royal, Bryan Gil, Lucas Moura, Ben Davies and Cristian Romero have all been mentioned as confirmed cases for COVID-19 by the media.
The players were also not listed on the training list revealed by Football London.
Football London reported that Hugo Lloris, Davinson Sanchez, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso, Dele Alli, Steven Bergbain, and Harry Kane participated in training, along with other younger players.
"A player who should have trained today and play tomorrow was tested positive after training," Conte added. “There are 11 players who can participate in the match."
Tottenham is set to play the EPL match against Brighton & Hove Albion on Dec. 12 and Leicester City on Dec. 17, however these matches are also likely to be postponed.
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