EFL reschedules League Cup ties after UEFA clash with Liverpool
The EFL changed three fixtures after UEFA set a Champions League date that left Liverpool and Everton both due to play at home on the same evening.
English competitions have been forced to rearrange three fixtures in the League Cup after the Champions League schedule created a home-clash for two Merseyside clubs on the same evening.
Calendar reshuffle after Liverpool's Champions League date
The English Football League (EFL) said it had no option but to change the dates for third-round League Cup ties after UEFA scheduled Liverpool as a home club on the same night Everton were also due to be at home. The conflict emerged when Liverpool’s Champions League match against Atlético Madrid was fixed for the same evening as Everton v Wolverhampton.
Everton’s third-round tie with Wolverhampton had been listed for 9 September when the Champions League calendar was published, and the EFL says it contacted UEFA on Monday to try to resolve the clash. Because Liverpool’s Champions League fixture could not be moved, the EFL was forced to redraw the domestic calendar.
As a result, Everton will now host Wolverhampton on 16 September, while Liverpool will host Tottenham one day earlier. In addition, Wolverhampton’s Championship game against Portsmouth has been postponed and will be played on 20 October instead of 16 September.
“In previous seasons, the League made numerous changes to the schedule to accommodate the expansion of UEFA’s club competitions. And UEFA made that decision without appropriate communication with the domestic competitions. The changes that were implemented included playing the third round of the League Cup over two weeks and adjusting the draw itself to avoid fixture clashes with Champions League and Europa League matches. Therefore UEFA’s unwillingness to cooperate is even more frustrating, and now, no less and no more, the supporters of five clubs will be affected by the enforced changes,” the EFL said in a statement.
The EFL described the situation as unacceptable and warned that supporters of the five affected clubs will face disruption as a result of the forced changes to dates.
Photo: Eirian Evans / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
