Kieran Maguire

Sun 23 January 2022 10:39, UK

Tottenham will have to play “politics” if they want the Premier League to change Covid call-off rules.

That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about Spurs’ frustrations with the current regulations.

Tottenham called for “clarity and consistency on the application of the rule” after their clash with Arsenal was called off at the last minute last weekend.

Antonio Conte’s side have played four fewer games than some of their rivals in the race for the top four as a result of fixture disruption.

As quoted by The Guardian on Tuesday (18 January), the elite Italian manager called the state of the league “a big mess”.

Per The Sun the following day, the Premier League is considering a U-turn on its rule by putting the call-off threshold to a vote between member clubs.

Maguire explains that Spurs would have to coordinate with their top-flight rivals if they are to instigate procedural change.

“The system from the outside looks like it can be manipulated,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.

“It relies on the good will and honesty of clubs, and there is no evidence that they aren’t implementing that.

“But at the same time, there does seem to be a lack of transparency.

“The fact that matches are getting called off so late is infuriating for all stakeholders in the game, fans, teams, broadcasters.

“It makes sense to have some clarity. Perhaps we have reached a stage in the pandemic where we can move to a more nuanced system.

“But getting deals through is never easy because people go into huddles and factions.

“There is a lot of horse-trading taking place, people saying ‘if you vote for this, we’ll help you out by voting for this’.

“It’s politics rather than health which will determine any changes.”

Tottenham are in action against Chelsea today (23 January).

That is their last match before the winter break.

In other news, pundit hails “brilliant signing” at Tottenham after Hugo Lloris news.