Manchester City and West Ham United have both rejected the chance to play their postponed Premier League fixture this weekend.
The original fixture was due to take place on Sunday but was ultimately called off due to Storm Ciara, which brought heavy rain and strong winds over to the UK in the past few days.
So... what are we all doing today instead then? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/A9to84YEly
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 9, 2020
A date for the rescheduled fixture is yet to be announced, but the Evening Standard note that it will not be held on either Saturday or Sunday as both clubs have refused to disrupt their winter break.
The Premier League are struggling to find a time to play the fixture, given City remain in the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Champions League, so it was hoped that both sides would agree to play it in the coming days, when there are no matches.
However, league officials told clubs not to arrange any friendlies over the period, neither City nor West Ham feel as though it would be fair to them to have to play the fixture now.
Many West Ham stars have already jetted off on holiday and are not scheduled back for training until Saturday, so arranging a fixture would cause a lot of unnecessary hassle.
As a result, the Premier League are set to meet with both clubs in the coming days to try and find a suitable outcome, but City will likely find it incredibly tough to find a suitable time to play as a result of their involvement in other competitions.
City have already had to postpone a league fixture with Arsenal on 1 March in order to play in the Carabao Cup final, while they could add another to the pile if they can reach the quarter-final of the FA Cup, which would see a clash with Chelsea postponed as well.
It is suggested that the West Ham game may have to wait until mid-March, after the Champions League meeting with Real Madrid.
City boss Pep Guardiola has already spoken about his frustration towards English football's hectic schedule, and you can guarantee that this isn't going to make things any better.
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Source : 90min