Spurs handed League Cup bye after COVID-19 cases at Orient

Tottenham Hotspur have superior to the League Cup fourth spherical through a bye after their match towards Leyton Orient was known as off as a consequence of a lot of Orient gamers testing positive for COVID-19, the Football League (EFL) stated on Friday.

Spurs’ third-round match towards Orient was cancelled on Tuesday, a day after the fourth-tier membership revealed the positive exams and closed their Breyer Group Stadium and coaching floor services till additional discover.

“Tottenham Hotspur have been awarded with a bye to progress to round four… and will now play Chelsea on Tuesday, Sept. 29,” the EFL stated in an announcement right here. “This followed a number of Leyton Orient players testing positive for COVID-19. The Board has determined that in line with Rule 5.1, (Orient) was unable to fulfil its obligations to complete the fixture… and shall therefore forfeit the tie.”

The information is a blow for Orient proprietor Nigel Travis, who had stated his crew wanted the monetary enhance that accompanies a house fixture towards one of many Premier League’s main lights.

“The coronavirus has added 1.5 million pounds ($1.91 million) to our losses and this game would have contributed about 150,000 pounds to offset those losses so this is a big blow,” Travis stated after Tuesday’s cancellation.

“We think the appropriate action is for this game to take place. If we don’t play the game and are forced to forfeit, it’s a demonstration that doing the right thing doesn’t work. It would be an incentive not to test.”

Orient’s League Two match towards Walsall, which was as a consequence of happen on Saturday, has additionally been known as off, with the EFL planning to announce a revised date for the fixture.