Tottenham out of Europa Conference League after UEFA confirms forfeit for Rennes game
Tottenham have been eliminated from the Europa Conference League after UEFA confirmed their postponed fixture against Rennes would be deemed as a forfeit.
The clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was due to be played on December 9 but was called off after a Covid-19 outbreak among the Spurs squad.
UEFA had already stated the fixture would not be replayed and their latest ruling sees Antonio Conte’s side lose the game 3-0 via forfeit, meaning they finish third in Group G.
Spurs also saw Premier League fixtures against Brighton and Leicester called off as the surge in Covid cases among squads continues to affect the calendar.
UEFA’s ruling means there will be no European football for the club in the new year, with a statement on Monday confirming the decision of the chairman of UEFA’s Appeals Body.
“To declare the 2021/22 UEFA Europa Conference League group stage match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Stade Rennais FC, that was initially scheduled to be played on 9 December 2021, as forfeited by Tottenham Hotspur FC, who is therefore deemed to have lost the match 0-3 in accordance with Annex J.3.1 to the Regulations of the UEFA Europa Conference League (2021/22 Season),” it read.
Rennes were already assured of top spot in Group G but victory for Spurs would have seen them leapfrog second-placed Vitesse Arnhem to reach the knockout stages of the third-tier European competition.
