The tie was scheduled to be played on Thursday
Everton’s game against Newcastle United has been postponed following a request from the Magpies, as reported by Amazon Prime.
The Magpies secured a 1-1 draw at home to Manchester United on Monday night, but they saw three of their star players leave the pitch with an injury as Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser and Allan Saint-Maximin were all substituted.
Both of Everton’s last two fixtures have been postponed, with the Toffees’ matches against Leicester and Burnley called off.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said on Monday that Newcastle were “dangerously close” to being unable to field a full team for the match.
They were only able to name eight substitutes, including two goalkeepers, for the draw against the Red Devils with the squad hit by injuries and COVID-19 cases.
As well as suffering from injuries and Covid issues, Javier Manquillo picked up his fifth yellow card of the campaign and is suspended for their next match.
Newcastle lodged a formal request with the Premier League to postpone Thursday’s fixture at Goodison Park, which was approved by the Premier League Board.
Following a request from Newcastle, the Premier League Board has agreed to postpone the club’s away fixture against Everton, due to be played on Thursday 30 December
Full statement: https://t.co/8aM0LoSXhx#EVENEW pic.twitter.com/BHNJWfZ09L
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 28, 2021
The Premier League released a statement confirming that the match had been postponed, it read: “Everton’s match against Newcastle United at Goodison Park, due to be played at 19:30 GMT on Thursday 30 December, has regrettably been postponed.
“The Board accepted Newcastle’s postponement application as the club does not have the required number of players available for the match (13 outfield players and one goalkeeper), due to COVID-19 cases and injuries.
“The Board was able to make its decision in advance of the fixture to give clarity to the affected clubs and their fans. We apologise for the inconvenience and disruption caused to supporters’ festive plans.
“The League is aware that the decisions in the last week to postpone matches will disappoint supporters, and understands their frustrations at a special time of year when fans look forward to attending and watching football games. The League aims to provide as much clarity as possible, but unfortunately postponements sometimes have to be made at short notice, as safety is our priority. Where possible, the League will endeavour to keep supporters updated if games become at risk on a matchday.
“The Board assesses applications to postpone matches on a case-by-case basis, based on existing rules and adapted COVID-19 postponement guidance, implemented in light of the new Omicron variant.
“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 representatives may come into contact with.”
A total of 16 Premier League matches have now been postponed due to Covid-19.
Related links:
- Gary Neville tells clubs to ‘get on with it’ and stop postponing games due to Covid-19
- Premier League records highest ever number of positive Covid-19 cases
- AFCON to go ahead despite Covid concerns
