Given that Chelsea’s Champions League match tomorrow night is taking place, it was a bit surprising and disappointing that Arsenal’s game against PSV on Thursday was cancelled.
Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that as of Thursday the Queen’s coffin will rest in state, which requires a greater police presence for those days and public access 24 hours a day. Perhaps it is that the 60,000 at the Emirates, plus a significant contingent of away fans, make police resources stretched too thin.
However, suffice it to say that this was not an Arsenal decision. The club wanted to play the game, and they tell me ‘all options’ were explored. I don’t know why a game behind closed doors doesn’t take place, or a game without visiting fans. It could be that there is still some police requirement for those scenarios; maybe Arsenal didn’t want to give up matchday revenue (understandably); or maybe there are rules that prevent games from being held behind closed doors unless it is for something disciplinary; after all, UEFA has sponsors and advertisers to please.
Suggestions of just flipping the device over and playing this game in Eindhoven sounds good, but logistically it’s very difficult. The amount of planning required, stadium management, staff, resources, surveillance, travel, broadcast, equipment, hotels, etc. make it basically impossible on such short notice. Likewise, playing somewhere ‘neutral’ presents the same problems.
Whatever the reason, it now presents Arsenal with a real head scratcher because, as it stands, there is literally no room on the fixture list to reschedule this one. After Interlull which starts after the Brentford match on Sunday, we have weekend and midweek action every week until the World Cup break. The final matches of the Europa League group stage will be played on November 3, when we face FC Zurich at home, while PSV will play Bodo/Glimt.
Check out the schedule, there are already nine (9!) games in October:
Saturday Oct 1: Sp*rs (H)
Thursday Oct 6: Bodo/Glimt (H)
Sunday October 9: Liverpool (H)
Thursday October 13: Board/Glimth (A)
Sunday October 16: Leeds (A)
Wednesday October 19: Man City (H)
Sunday October 23: Southampton (A)
Thursday October 27: PSV Eindhoven (A)
Sunday Oct 30: Nottingham Forest (H)
Thursday November 3: FC Zurich (H)
Then there are three more games to be played between November 6, which is when the Chelsea match will be moved, and November 12, when the World Cup break occurs. The EFL Cup match on November 8 is another one of the people who have talked about moving to make way for PSV, but given that it will happen after the date of the last match of the Europa League group stage, I don’t see how it will work.
Unless special waiver is granted by UEFA, those final matches must be played at the same time, in the interest of fairness and sporting integrity. The date people are talking about is the Premier League game on October 19, when we host Man City. I guess it’s not impossible that it could be postponed to fit the European match, but although I don’t know the protocols for such events, it surely depends on whether or not PSV accepts that date. Maybe it doesn’t suit them. And what we do on that stage, I just don’t know.
UEFA rules on cancellation status: If a match cannot take place or cannot be played in its entirety, the responsible member association or club cancels the match.
It would be extraordinarily tough on Arsenal if that were the case, but surely it must be a possibility. It’s not our fault that we can’t play, but in the end we are the host club and we can’t play the game. Hopefully a date can be arranged, but I think PSV would be within their rights to explore the option. Some might see it as unsportsmanlike, and given the extraordinary circumstances that would bring us to that point, I don’t think it’s unreasonable, however I could understand if they made this an Arsenal issue.
I guess we will have to wait and see. I can’t think of another situation like this before, so there’s not much precedent. The ideal result is that we play on a rescheduled date, but as I have pointed out, it is quite complicated. Hopefully there will be some understanding from everyone involved and a new date can be found.
The fact that Thursday night’s game is canceled and Sunday’s game with Brentford goes ahead is also a bit confusing, given that it’s the day before the funeral. I know there is a difference in capacity (17,250 vs. 60,000), so it would require fewer resources, but still. Changing the start time from 2 pm to 12 noon is also a bit strange. I don’t quite understand that, beyond a lingering doubt, the higher-ups want to prevent football fans from having a couple of hours in the pub before the game starts.
Anyway, let’s see what happens. In this season of all seasons, more accessory chaos is the last thing anyone needs, but it’s what we have to deal with right now.
Ok, that’s it for now. There’s a new Arsecast Extra for you below, happy to hear.
