Tottenham Hotspur have been awarded a bye into fourth round of the Carabao Cup following the postponement of their third round clash against Leyton Orient.
Tottenham Hotspur Awarded Bye Into Next Round of Carabao Cup
Why Was the Game Postponed?
Tottenham’s trip to East London was postponed after several members of the Orient squad tested positive for COVID-19.
The Premier League side had paid for the O’s testing as it is not mandatory to test staff members at EFL clubs.
The League Two side then returned several positive tests, meaning that their clash with Tottenham was postponed. Plymouth Argyle, Mansfield Town and Oldham Athletic – the three teams whose Ross Embleton’s side had recently faced – all sought tests for their squads following the news.
As a result of the postponement, it meant that Orient have missed out on a fee in the region of £150,000 as the game was meant to be on Sky Sports.
Jose Mourinho’s side will now face Chelsea in the fourth round of the competition next week.
EFL Statement
A short statement by the EFL read: “In accordance with Carabao Cup Rules, Tottenham Hotspur have been awarded with a bye to progress to Round Four of the Carabao Cup and will now play Chelsea on Tuesday 29 September.
“The Round Three tie scheduled for Tuesday 22 September between Leyton Orient and Tottenham Hotspur could not take place following the issue by Waltham Forest Borough Council of an order preventing the match being played as planned. This followed a number of Leyton Orient players testing positive for COVID-19.
“The EFL Board has determined that in line with Carabao Cup Rule 5.1, the Club was unable to fulfil its obligations to complete the fixture by virtue of the Council’s order and shall therefore forfeit the tie.”
It is not clear when the O’s will return to action – their game against Walsall this weekend has also been postponed.
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