A total of 22 games have been called off this season due to COVID-19 outbreaks and the subsequent unavailability of players, with the league being criticised by some clubs for their handling of the crisis.
Following a club meeting today, the Premier League’s COVID-19 match postponement guidance has been updated to inclu… https://t.co/GJPYPIl9bp
— Premier League (@premierleague) 1643205856000
Earlier, a match could be postponed if one of the teams did not have 13 available outfield players and one goalkeeper “either from its squad list or its appropriately experienced Under-21 players”.
“Following a club meeting today, the Premier League’s COVID-19 match postponement guidance has been updated to include a COVID-19 impact threshold,” the league said in a statement.
“From now on, if a club applies to postpone a match on the grounds of insufficient players due to COVID-19, they must have a minimum of four positive cases within their squad.”
The new guidelines will kick in ahead the game between Burnley and Watford on Feb. 5.