January 09, (THEWILL) – Talal Al Hammad, the chairman of Wigan Athletic, has urged the English Football League (EFL) to prolong the current season due to severe fixture congestion owing to the slew of enforced postponements.
As THEWILL reported, these postponements have wreaked havoc on the EFL this season, with nearly 100 games being cancelled. 24 EFL games were postponed on Boxing Day alone owing to COVID-19 outbreaks at clubs.
There have been calls for the EFL to extend the season in order to help clubs deal with rearranged fixtures, but the EFL has so far resisted. Clubs must play a minimum of 48 matches per season (51 in Leagues One and Two).
Al Hammad, on the other hand, believes that extending the season has widespread support among EFL clubs.
Taking to Twitter on Sunday morning, the club chairman posted: “I am positive that other clubs will agree with me on that the EFL should reconsider their position and extend the league under such circumstances. The main reason being our players, their safety and their wellbeing.”
Wigan Athletic sit fourth in League One, but have played four fewer games than most of their rivals, and have advanced to the fourth rounds of the EFL Trophy and FA Cup following wins over Oldham Athletic and Blackburn Rovers, respectively, this week.
Regarding his club, Al Hammad added: At Wigan Athletic, we have always respected the rules and regulations put into place for the safety and wellbeing of all. We have adhered to these, respectfully, throughout the hardships and the pandemic that followed.
“However, playing a football game every three days for a hundred days is unhealthy. It is inevitable that the players will suffer from increased stress and pressure which could then lead to physical and mental injury to our valued players and team.
“Our players would be required to perform at a peak, elite level on each occasion and over such a significant period, this is near impossible. For the integrity of all competitions in which we are competing, we must find some equality in our fixture programme.”
Over at the English Premier League, a meeting last month to discuss possible arrangements to deal with the outbreak of COVID-19 in many clubs, which led to a similar set of postponements, ended with EPL clubs deciding, in the majority, to continue with the season as is rather than effect any drastic changes such as crowd restrictions or suspending the season altogether.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
