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Southampton furious after Newcastle clash is postponed due to Covid outbreak and injuries as they vent to Premier League

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SOUTHAMPTON are furious with the late postponement of Sunday’s clash with Newcastle.

The South-Coast club have expressed their frustrations to the Premier League in their conversations with the top flight’s governing body over a lack of transparency – though no formal complaint has been made.

Newcastle were due to face Southampton at St Mary’s on January 2Credit: Ian Hodgson
But an outbreak of Covid-19 in the Toon squad has led to the postponement of the matchCredit: Reuters
Saints boss Ralph Hassenhutl was furious was the late postponement of the matchCredit: Mark Robinson – The Sun

Newcastle requested the game be postponed on Friday morning with Saints finding out just after midday, forcing them to cancel their pre-match press conference at the last minute.

Southampton feel the lines are being blurred over whether matches are being postponed due to Covid cases or injuries.

They want more clarity over exactly which players are injured and which have tested positive for Covid when a postponed request is made.

Newcastle lost key men Callum Wilson, Allan Saint-Maximin and Ryan Fraser to injury against Manchester United on Monday, while Isaac Hayden was ruled out for two months after undergoing surgery on a knee problem.

When announcing the Newcastle postponement, the Premier League said the Toon “does not have the required number of players available for the match (13 outfield players and one goalkeeper), due to Covid-19 cases and injuries”.

But it did detail the exact numbers of Covid cases within the squad, nor the precise nature of the injuries.

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Rules state a match can be rearranged if clubs have fewer than 14 players available due to injuries and Coronavirus.

But there is a growing feeling that the sheer amount of games that are being postponed is damaging the integrity of the competition.

The Covid outbreak in his squad is yet another headache for Toon boss Eddie HoweCredit: PA

Saints feel it was a different case for them last season when their game at Manchester United went ahead despite a huge injury crisis, forcing them to play many academy players and ended up losing 9-0.

After the postponement was announced, a Southampton statement read: “We share the disappointment of our supporters in hearing this news and will confirm details of the rearranged fixture in due course.

“All tickets for the game will remain valid for the new date.”

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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk

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