Is the Tottenham Ludogorets Game in Doubt Due to Covid?

While there are not confirming sources, a Sportlive.bg report from Bulgaria says Ludogorets may have trouble fielding a side to face Tottenham due to Covid.

Stories are popping up in different outlets – like this one here – all linking back to an unsubstantiated claim from Bulgaria, that Ludogorets may not be able to field a squad versus Tottenham. While no other sources have direct information, the idea is certainly a concerning one, but there are reasons to question the report.

Field, Forfeit, or Reschedule

UEFA has updated the rules this season to reflect the realities of Covid-19 and the fact that players may miss matches due to the illness in section 1.2 Testing and player eligibility. Basically, the rules start by saying the match will take place as scheduled, “unless the national/local authorities of one or both clubs involved…require a large group of players or the entire team to go into quarantine.”

In other words, the game must be played unless Bulgaria goes into lockdown and quarantines the team. This idea is not completely out of the question if you believe reporting in Theme Sports out of Bulgaria, which claim the Bulgarian authorities are considering shutting football down. So, if the Bulgarian government quarantines the country, the game could be called off.

Assuming that does not happen, given some failed tests Ludogorets must have at least 13 players “registered on the A list” inclusive of 1 goalie to field a side. For those checking at home, Ludogorets has 21 A list players. To not be able to field a team Ludogorets would have to have 8 players test positive including all 3 A list goalkeepers. While certainly not impossible, particularly when taking injuries into account, it does seem improbable at this time.

If either Ludogorets cannot field the required number of players or Bulgaria shuts the teams down, the game is not immediately forfeited.  In fact, according to Annex J.3.1 the match will basically be rescheduled if it can be played before January 28, 2021 at the latest. That said, the real caveat here is if there is insufficient time for the cancellation of the match, which could result in a forfeit, if Ludogorets or Bulgarian authorities do not provide ample notice.

The long, short of it, is Tottenham are very unlikely to get a pass, whether the game is played Thursday or at a later date. With the ongoing fixture congestion, that will be difficult, but not impossible.

Reason to Question the Reporting?

The reality is, we have little idea what is really going on in Bulgaria. Neither of the reports linked have an author attached to them, which is the first flag to make one question what we read. Secondly, there have been no other outlets reporting the recent positive Covid tests, including from Ludogorets.

In the build-up to the first Tottenham game and again after the game there were reports about testing on the Ludogorets website. However, there have been no new reports on that site in nearly 2 weeks, so you must wonder about that too. So instead of speculating now we wait. Ultimately, until someone hears differently the game will be played on Thursday as scheduled.