Aston Villa were due to face Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, but the club announced two-and-a-half hours before kickoff that the fixture had been postponed due to an increased amount of positive Covid-19 test results.
Supporters can forgive the game being called off, but they weren’t happy about the timing. Villa’s statement said they received positive tests the morning of the game, so why did the confirmation come so close to kickoff? Fans on social media were right to be angry, as many had already travelled in anticipation.
Villa’s clash being called off was a blow for a second reason too. The Midlands outfit could have gone seventh in the Premier League with a win and faced a Burnley side that were winless in their last five games. But Steven Gerrard’s men will now host Chelsea on Boxing Day – a team seven places and 15 points ahead in the table.
There is a lot of sympathy for the players that have received positive tests and supporters hope they get better, but the match should have been postponed much earlier if Villa were going into game day without knowing the test results of many first-teamers. That’s why other Premier League teams did.
Villa, however, waited so late only to let people down who had already paid for travel, parking and accommodation.
