Football: Fulham's Premier League game at Spurs called off over COVID-19 cases

LONDON: Fulham's Premier League match at Tottenham Hotspur that was scheduled to kick off at 1800 GMT on Wednesday (Dec 30) has been called off due to a COVID-19 outbreak at the West London club, Spurs said.

"The Premier League informed us of the decision this afternoon, with Fulham having requested the postponement on the grounds of the number of COVID-19 positive cases among their players and staff," Spurs said in a statement.

"Details of a new date for the fixture will be confirmed in due course."

The match is the third in the English top flight to be postponed due to COVID-19 cases after Newcastle United's trip to Aston Villa earlier this month was called off, as was Monday's match between Everton and Manchester City.

Both Newcastle and City reported COVID-19 outbreaks at their clubs which forced them to lodge a request with the Premier League.

READ: Record 18 COVID-19 cases casts doubt on Premier League's future

Four hours before the game was scheduled to kick off, Spurs boss Jose Mourinho said he was still in the dark regarding the status of the match.

"Match at 6pm ... We still don't know if we play. Best league in the world," he wrote on Instagram.

On Tuesday, the Premier League said 18 individuals had tested positive for the new coronavirus, the most in a week this season, with bottom side Sheffield United also reporting a number of fresh cases in their camp.

However, the Blades' match at Burnley on Tuesday went ahead with only the players testing positive going into self-isolation.