Chelsea’s WSL clash with Man Utd postponed due to ‘player welfare’ concerns

The WSL title-holders are set to host Actual Madrid at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, October 8, two days after the United conflict would have taken place.

Chelsea launched a press release on Sunday confirming the postponement, expressing “honest remorse” on the circumstances.

It learn: “We remorse to tell supporters that our Girls’s Tremendous League fixture towards Manchester United at Kingsmeadow on Sunday, October 6 has been postponed.

“Upon the discharge of the fixture schedule for our forthcoming Girls’s Champions League group stage marketing campaign, we’re on account of host Actual Madrid at Stamford Bridge for matchday one on Tuesday, October 8.

“In mild of the proximity between the 2 fixtures, the membership raised its issues concerning participant welfare with the related events. Quite a few discussions have since taken place in an try to search out an amicable answer to this scheduling battle between the league and UEFA.

“Regardless of our greatest efforts to hunt different choices which might permit us to play each matches safely, these have been unsuccessful.

“It’s subsequently with honest remorse that we’re left with no different possibility than to substantiate the postponement of subsequent weekend’s WSL fixture.

“We’re extraordinarily disenchanted with the end result however want to reiterate that participant welfare and the impression on our supporters are of the utmost significance to us.”

An announcement from the Girls’s Skilled Leagues Restricted (WPLL), the impartial entity that as of this season oversees the highest two tiers of English ladies’s soccer, learn: “As a result of scheduling of Chelsea’s first UWCL group-stage recreation, the BWSL recreation between Chelsea and Manchester United, on account of happen on Sunday, October 6, has been postponed.

“We apologise for any inconvenience to followers. On this occasion, we’ve got to place participant welfare first and we’ll announce a brand new date for the fixture in the end.

“We thank the golf equipment and Sky Sports activities for his or her understanding as we work on a decision.”

The identical assertion was posted on Manchester United’s membership web site.

UEFA stated in a press release: “A couple of yr in the past and in accordance with the competitors laws, UEFA established the Girls’s Champions League match calendar, highlighting the 2 doable match days out there in each match week and communicated it to nationwide associations, leagues and golf equipment to permit advance planning.

“For the Girls’s Champions League group stage draw, there are two well-established draw ideas regarding groups from the identical nationwide affiliation.

“The primary prevents groups from the identical nationwide affiliation from being drawn into the identical group and the second pairs two groups, on this case the very best seeds Arsenal and Chelsea, to make sure that they play on completely different days of each match week.

“These ideas have been clearly communicated prematurely and have been widespread apply because the introduction of the Girls’s Champions League group stage within the 2021-22 season.”