‘Extremely frustrated’: Portsmouth release statement after Wolves trip moved for second time - when is new date
Pompey’s trip to Molineux has been pushed back once again.
Pompey’s trip to Wolves next month has been rescheduled for a second time in a week.
The Blues were initially pencilled in to travel to Molineux for a Championship fixture on Wednesday, September 9.
But the contest was subsequently pushed back after Cesar Peixoto’s side advanced to the third round of the Carabao Cup.
The Old Gold have subsequently been drawn away to Everton in the next round of the competition, with their visit to the Hill Dickinson Stadium initially earmarked for September 9.
However, that cup showdown has now also been pushed back due to neighbours Liverpool’s home draw against Atletico Madrid in the Championship League group-stage phase. The Reds and Everton are unable to play at home on the same night.
Now, Wolves’ Carabao Cup tie with the Toffees will go ahead on September 16 - the date that had been rearranged for Pompey’s trip to Molineux.
As a result, John Mousinho’s troops will now face Peixoto's side on Tuesday, October 20 - more than a month after the original contest was pencilled in, which now remains fixture free.
New date for Wolves trip as Pompey release damning statement
Pompey have released a damning statement following the news, with the club extremely frustrated by the decision.
A statement on the club website read: ‘Pompey can announce that the rearranged Championship away match at Wolves will no longer be played on Wednesday, September 16.
‘The fixture had initially been moved from Wednesday, September 9, because the home side were due to be in Carabao Cup action at Everton on that evening.
‘But with it only being confirmed on Saturday that Liverpool now have a Champions League game at Anfield on September 9 and Everton being unable to play at home on the same night, the cup tie has had to be pushed back a week.
‘The knock-on effect of this is that disappointingly, our visit to Molineux has been postponed for a second time and will now take place on Tuesday, October 20 (7.45pm kick-off).
‘Due to the extremely late notice of these changes, Wolves are unable to host the game on the original date of September 9.
‘Portsmouth Football Club are extremely frustrated that our fans, many of whom will have twice made arrangements for this game, are adversely affected.’
‘We will provide a further update with information for supporters who have purchased tickets in due course.’
EFL release statement in response to UEFA decision
In response, the EFL admitted they were left with no choice but to reschedule the Blues’ trip to Molineux after discussions with UEFA officials on Monday.
A statement from the EFL read: The EFL has been left with no option than to rearrange a number of its fixtures following the announcement of fixture details for the league phase of the UEFA Champions League.
On 28 August, we confirmed that the Carabao Cup Round Three tie between Everton and Wolves had been scheduled for Wednesday 9 September. This was confirmed with local stakeholders as per usual practice ahead of announcement.
‘On Saturday, UEFA announced that it had scheduled Liverpool v Atletico Madrid for the same date, despite it being clear that Everton and Liverpool cannot play home fixtures on the same evening.
‘The EFL met with UEFA officials on Monday morning to explore available options, however in those discussions it was made clear that they were unwilling to consider rescheduling the Liverpool v Atletico Madrid fixture, and avoiding the consequences for other fixtures as a result.
‘Over recent seasons the League has made a number of changes to accommodate the expansion of UEFA Club competitions – a decision which was made without adequate consultation with domestic leagues. These changes have included splitting Carabao Cup Round Three ties across two weeks, and implementing draw conditions for Round Three which prevent scheduling conflicts for Clubs playing in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
‘This makes UEFA’s unwillingness to cooperate all the more frustrating, not least for the supporters of the five Clubs that will now be inconvenienced as a result.’