Tottenham-Liverpool League Cup tie moved as EFL criticises UEFA over fixture clash

Tottenham Hotspur’s League Cup third-round match against Liverpool has been brought forward by one day after the release of the UEFA Champions League league-phase schedule, prompting strong criticism of UEFA from the English Football League (EFL).

The fixture had originally been scheduled for Wednesday, 16 September, but will now take place on Tuesday, 15 September.

Tottenham Hotspur said on its official website: “We have today been informed that our third-round Carabao Cup fixture against Liverpool, originally scheduled to take place on Wednesday 16 September, has been rescheduled to Tuesday 15 September.”

The change follows the announcement of the dates for the league phase of the UEFA Champions League.

The EFL, which organises the League Cup, said it had been left with no alternative but to revise the dates of several matches after UEFA confirmed its European programme.

“In recent seasons, the EFL has made a number of changes to accommodate the expansion of UEFA’s club competitions, a decision taken without sufficient consultation with domestic league bodies,” the organisation said.

“These changes have included spreading the third round of the League Cup across two weeks, as well as applying conditions to the third-round draw to prevent scheduling conflicts for clubs involved in the Champions League and Europa League.”

The dispute centres on another third-round match involving Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers. The EFL said that on 28 August it had confirmed the fixture would be played on Wednesday, 9 September, after agreeing the date with the relevant local authorities in line with its usual procedures.

However, UEFA later announced on Saturday that Liverpool’s Champions League match against Atletico Madrid would be played on the same day.

The EFL said Everton and Liverpool could not both stage evening home matches on the same night. Its officials therefore met UEFA representatives on Monday morning to discuss possible solutions.

“During those discussions, however, it was made clear that they were not prepared to consider rescheduling the Liverpool v Atletico Madrid match, due to the impact this would have on supporters travelling from overseas,” the EFL said.

“As a result, the EFL was unfortunately forced to make changes to the dates of three matches.”

It added: “This makes UEFA’s unwillingness to cooperate extremely frustrating, particularly for the supporters of the five affected clubs. We offer our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused.”

The criticism reflects the wider pressure on domestic competitions created by the expansion of UEFA’s club tournaments. The EFL said it had already adapted its own scheduling arrangements to reduce the risk of clashes involving clubs competing in Europe, but argued that those measures depended on cooperation between the respective governing bodies.

Tottenham Hotspur have also strengthened their attacking options by signing Egypt forward Omar Marmoush on loan from Manchester City.