EFL Accuses UEFA of Non-Cooperation Over Fixture Rescheduling
The English Football League (EFL) has stated that UEFA’s lack of cooperation has led them to rearrange three domestic fixtures. The dispute arose after UEFA announced that the Champions League match between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid would take place on the same day as the Carabao Cup third-round tie between Everton and Wolves on September 9.
Following this announcement, the EFL faced the challenge of rescheduling not only the Everton vs. Wolves match but also two further contests: Liverpool against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup and Wolves’ game against Portsmouth in the Championship.
In an official statement, the EFL expressed its disappointment, revealing, “On Saturday, UEFA announced that it had scheduled Liverpool v Atletico Madrid for the same date, despite it being clear that Everton and Liverpool cannot play home fixtures on the same evening.”
The EFL held discussions with UEFA officials on the following Monday to explore possible alternatives, but was informed that UEFA was unwilling to reschedule the Champions League match due to concerns about supporters traveling from overseas.
“Disappointingly, the League has therefore been forced to make changes,” the statement continued. It also noted that the EFL had previously made accommodations over recent seasons to help facilitate the expansion of UEFA club competitions, often without adequate consultation with domestic leagues.
The EFL asserted, “These changes have included splitting Carabao Cup round three ties across two weeks, and implementing draw conditions for round three which prevent scheduling conflicts for clubs playing in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. This makes UEFA’s unwillingness to cooperate all the more frustrating, not least for the supporters of the five impacted clubs, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused.”
In response, UEFA claimed it “always does its best to accommodate reasonable requests” but explained that the potential clash only became apparent after the fixture publication, making adjustments impossible at that time. UEFA stated, “At that stage, it was not possible to make changes, particularly given the significant number of supporters who may already have arranged international travel and accommodation. We believe that these commitments deserve to be respected.”
As a result of these changes, the match between Everton and Wolves will now take place on September 16, while the Liverpool vs. Tottenham match has been moved to September 15. The Wolves vs. Portsmouth match, originally scheduled for September 16, will now be held on October 20.
The English Football League (EFL) has accused Uefa of an “unwillingness to cooperate” after it says the European governing body’s stance forced them to rearrange three domestic fixtures.
Everton and Wolves were scheduled to play their Carabao Cup third-round tie on 9 September before Liverpool and Atletico Madrid‘s Champions League clash was, on Saturday, announced for the same day.
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As a result, that contest and two others – Liverpool v Tottenham in the Carabao Cup and Wolves v Portsmouth in the Championship – have been rescheduled.
An EFL statement read: “On Saturday, Uefa announced that it had scheduled Liverpool v Atletico Madrid for the same date, despite it being clear that Everton and Liverpool cannot play home fixtures on the same evening.
“The EFL met with Uefa officials on Monday morning to explore available options, however in those discussions it was made clear that they were unwilling to consider rescheduling the Liverpool v Atletico Madrid fixture due to the impact on supporters travelling from overseas.
“Disappointingly, the League has therefore been forced to make changes.
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“Over recent seasons the League has made a number of changes to accommodate the expansion of Uefa club competitions – a decision which was made without adequate consultation with domestic leagues.
“These changes have included splitting Carabao Cup round three ties across two weeks, and implementing draw conditions for round three which prevent scheduling conflicts for clubs playing in the Uefa Champions League and Uefa Europa League.
“This makes Uefa’s unwillingness to cooperate all the more frustrating, not least for the supporters of the five impacted clubs, and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused.”
Uefa, in response, insisted it “always does its best to accommodate reasonable requests”, but said the “potential conflict” only emerged after fixtures were published, when changes were no longer possible.
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The European governing body said in a statement: “Uefa regularly receives scheduling requests from associations, leagues and clubs and always does its best to accommodate reasonable requests wherever possible.
“In this case, no issue had been raised with Uefa during the scheduling process, and the potential conflict only became apparent after the publication of the fixture lists.
“At that stage, it was not possible to make changes, particularly given the significant number of supporters who may already have arranged international travel and accommodation. We believe that these commitments deserve to be respected.
“Uefa remains in contact with the relevant stakeholders, and we appreciate all efforts to minimise any local operational challenges.”
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Everton v Wolves is now set for Wednesday, 16 September; Liverpool v Tottenham, originally slated for 16 September, is now a day earlier and Wolves v Portsmouth, also initially due to be played on 16 September, will take place on 20 October.
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