The English Football League have confirmed that this weekend’s Championship fixture involving Coventry City and Rotherham United has been postponed.
Coventry City were due to visit the New York Stadium to lock horns with fellow relegation strugglers Rotherham who are presently third from bottom of the league.
Rotherham United football club, also known as ‘The Millers’, had already postponed two matches, their scheduled away match at Brentford last weekend and their midweek clast at Luton Town after a second COVID-19 outbreak at the South Yorkshire club.
A statement from the League body read:
Rotherham United’s Sky Bet Championship fixture against Coventry City on Saturday 13 March has been suspended. The Club informed the EFL that it would be unable to fulfil the fixture following recent positive COVID-19 tests and the requirement for players and staff to self-isolate as per EFL and Government guidance in order to mitigate against the risk of further infection. The circumstances surrounding the postponement will now be the subject of an investigation in accordance with EFL Regulations.
A revised date for the rearranged fixture will be confirmed in due course.
Tutored by Paul Warne, the Millers were due to be without about five players for this weekend's Championship tie with the West Midlands club, which has now also been moved with the aim of staging the tie at a later date.
They have now shut their Roundwood Sports Complex training ground. All Football League sides undergo Covid testing twice-weekly, and this will see a change in the BoyleSports odds as this process goes on.
Coventry City’s relegation challengers, Birmingham City have called on the league body – EFL, to investigate what their head coach claims is Rotherham United's unfair advantage after another covid-19 outbreak at the Championship club.
Birmingham City manager Aitor Karanka has spoken out after his team were defeated 1-0 at Oakwell Stadium against Barnsley on Saturday, leaving the side still three points above Rotherham United in the final relegation spot.
The only real upside for Coventry City is the fact that it will give top striker Matty Godden ampule time to recover and get fit for his return to football action.
Coventry City's next scheduled match is away against Luton Town on Tuesday, March 16.
Meanwhile, Rotherham will be investigated by the English Football League after their latest fixture postponement due to another Covid-19 outbreak in their camp.
Coventry join Cardiff City, Brentford, Luton Town, Derby County, QPR, and Middlesbrough on the list of clubs to have had a Championship match versus v Rotherham postponed this campaign.
QPR and Cardiff saw their matches called off due to a frozen or waterlogged field, with others being as a result of coronavirus outbreak in the camp of the Millers.
Supporters from several clubs in the Championship have begun to question whether Rotherham are taking just enough preventive action to avoid postponements, with Birmingham boss Karanka calling for an investigation into the team.
The EFL are now set to investigate the club’s most recent postponement with the Sky Blues.
The EFL investigates all fixtures postponed by the outbreak. But with Coventry City being the third match on the bounce that Rotherham have had to postpone and the increasing number of people calling for serious EFL action.