Tottenham Hotspur announced on Wednesday night that their Europa Conference League fixture with Rennes was to be postponed due to an outbreak of COVID-19 at the club.
Antonio Conte confirmed that eight players and five staff members had contracted the virus as he addressed the media during his pre-game press conference, describing the situation as "scary".
UEFA have since confirmed that the fixture will not take place on Thursday, although the postponement did not go down at all well with Rennes, in spite of their status as group winners.
Here, Sports Mole looks at when Tottenham's final Group G game versus Rennes could be played.
© Reuters
UEFA rules state that a continental game cannot be postponed if a team has at least 13 players on their A-list available - including a goalkeeper - and all group fixtures must be completed by December 31.
However, Spurs are dealing with a hectic run of domestic games in the run-up to 2022, and their schedule will not get any easier if Sunday's Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion is also postponed, with the club expected to put a request in to the Premier League shortly.
If UEFA insist that the December 31 deadline is met, reports have claimed that Spurs have mooted the date of December 15, which would be a day before their proposed Premier League clash with Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
With numerous members of the club only testing positive over the past couple of days, it is difficult to see Spurs' situation improving drastically by next week, and Rennes supposedly have no intention of agreeing to that date.
© Reuters
The week leading up to Christmas Day is also off the menu, with Spurs facing West Ham United in the EFL Cup quarter-finals on December 22, and they must also take on Southampton in the Premier League the following Tuesday.
Spurs' spot in the Europa Conference League knockout round play-offs is yet to be guaranteed either, but if they were to advance to that stage, the first leg would not take place until February 17, with the draw being made next Monday.
Once the hectic Christmas period is over, Spurs do not have any midweek commitments in January, by which time the COVID-19 situation at the club ought to have settled down, and Rennes' schedule will also free up in January following the Ligue 1 Christmas break.
A fixture in early 2022 is therefore surely the best way forward to minimise domestic disruption - especially with Spurs already a game behind their Premier League rivals following the postponement of the Burnley clash - but that relies on UEFA relenting on their December 31 deadline as the governing body scrambles to work on a solution with both clubs.
Ben Knapton
