New postponement rule

THE Premier League are planning to impose tighter rules around match postponements in order to curb the slew of games being called off.

There have been 21 postponements under the Covid protocols to date, with clubs and managers accusing their counterparts of gaming the system when unable to field their strongest XI. Many believe the integrity of the top flight is at risk.

The Premier League, who amended their rules in light of the Omicron variant, take into account injuries and players away on international duty when deciding whether a game should be postponed but that is set to change.

Talks are being held between clubs that could see a new rule introduced stating clubs must have at least five positive cases to get a game rearranged and cannot count those injured or on international duty among their unavailable players. The new protocols are likely to be in place ahead of the round of fixtures starting February 8.