Premier League moves Arsenal and Crystal Palace matches amid fixture congestion row
Arsenal and Crystal Palace had their Premier League matches the weekend before Christmas brought forward a day to allow “adequate recovery time for the players” for their Carabao Cup quarter-final clash three days later.
Arsenal and Palace were due to face each other on Sunday December 21 at Everton and Leeds respectively, meaning their Carabao Cup tie on Tuesday December 23 would be a second match within 48 hours for both.
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They will now play both matches on Saturday December 20 at 8 p.m., in line with Fifa’s recommendation of at least 72 hours of rest between matches.
The two London teams will then meet at the Emirates Stadium the following Tuesday. This is a different midweek to other Carabao Cup matches, which take place in the week commencing 15 December, due to Palace’s involvement in a Conference League match on Thursday 18 December.
A Premier League statement said: “Player welfare is a priority for the Premier League, and we have therefore acceded to requests from Arsenal and Crystal Palace to move their respective matches.
“This comes after matches from other competitions were scheduled around Premier League matches without adequate player recovery time. It is also further evidence of the impact of expanded UEFA competitions on the domestic match schedule.
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“The League would like to thank Leeds United and Everton for their cooperation in implementing these changes.”
The original schedule saw Palace playing three times in the space of five days, while Arsenal had their own concerns of playing twice in the space of 48 hours.
Arteta and Glasner subsequently complained that the schedule did not respect the welfare of the game, leading to a change in the Premier League when the relevant top-flight matches are played.
However, Palace are still planning to play two games in three days, with their Conference League clash against KuPS taking place 48 hours before their meeting at Elland Road. The match against KuPS is part of the final round of the championship stage of the competition, which must all be played at the same time.
Oliver Glasner frustrated with match schedule (PA Wire)
Palace have launched an appeal to postpone the European match until Wednesday, but it appears UEFA have rejected the request.
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Glasner lambasted the various governing bodies responsible for scheduling matches earlier this month, bemoaning the perceived priority of profits over player welfare.
The Austrian said: “It’s not about the welfare of the players. It’s not about talking together and finding what’s best. Everyone only looks at themselves to maximize money.
“This is the situation. Now we can say that this is the UEFA calendar. It was clear this week before Christmas that the Conference League would be played. It is clear, 99 percent, that the English participants will play there. So why arrange the Carabao quarter-final there? Why? I just don’t understand. Again, it was clear.
“Then I think, maybe someone corrects me, there is a hierarchy in football. So it’s the UEFA games, it’s the Premier League games and then I don’t know if it’s the FA or the EFL or it’s at the same level. And then if there’s a UEFA match day, you can’t say we’re playing the quarter-finals.