Tottenham Hotspur are taking legal action against their exclusion from the Europa Conference League, going all the way to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) if necessary.
“I am very disappointed with UEFA’s decision,” Tottenham coach Antonio Conte told the Daily Mail on Tuesday. UEFA’s decision was “unfair, for sure”, Conte insisted. “We deserved to play on turf for the qualifiers – and not in this way.”
Spurs’ clash with Stade Rennes, which was cancelled due to Corona, was deemed 0-3 by UEFA, the governing body announced on Monday. Tottenham thus remain third in Group G behind Rennes and Vitesse Arnhem. Conte said he would be very confident of a possible legal battle with UEFA.
The match had been called off on 9 December following a Corona outburst at the top English club. Conte had confirmed several Corona cases at the time. According to the report, eight players and five staff members had tested positive. In the league, there were numerous match cancellations for the same reasons.
According to UEFA’s regulations, the group stage must be completed by 31 December. According to UEFA rules, if it was not possible to reschedule within the deadline, “the club unable to participate in that match would be held responsible”.