This archive report was first published on 15 January 2022.
Published on January 15, 2022, the Premier League has accepted Arsenal's request to postpone the North London derby against Tottenham.
The decision was made after Arsenal claimed they had 'many players currently unavailable across our squad as a result of Covid, injuries and players away with their countries at AFCON.'
Tottenham's hierarchy, however, expressed anger at the thought of the game being postponed, disputing the presence of a coronavirus outbreak at Arsenal.
According to the Premier League, Arsenal had fewer than the required number of players available for the match, with 13 outfield players and one goalkeeper unavailable.
While the Premier League confirmed that all clubs can apply for a postponement due to Covid-19 infections, they did not specify if the number of cases was taken into account.
On Friday, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta insisted that the club's 'intention is always to play.'
Several key players, including Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe, and Takehiro Tomiyasu, were already ruled out due to injury or Covid-19, while others like Cedric Soares and Bukayo Saka were forced to leave the pitch early during the Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool.
Additionally, Granit Xhaka's red card would have ruled him out of the Tottenham game, and several other players, including Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny, Nicolas Pepe, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, are away at the Africa Cup of Nations.
