The
Premier League has apologised “unreservedly” to
Tottenham and Nottingham Forest fans after transportation strikes have forced the league to bring forward their upcoming clash by a day . The fixture was originally scheduled for Monday, April 8th, but will now be played on Sunday, April 7th at a new time of 6pm due to “safety reasons” as a result of tube and rail strikes announced last week .
London Underground drivers who are members of the trade union ASLEF are set to walk out on the 8th, the same day eight National Rail operators are also due to strike, leaving what Spurs said is just one of the six stations that serve their stadium open as normal on the original match date. A Premier League press release, also shared by Nottingham Forest, read: “The Premier League apologises unreservedly to supporters of both Clubs, and all those affected, for the inconvenience and disruption caused by this late fixture change. “The change has been made due to matters beyond the League’s control, namely the decision to implement rail and tube strikes on Monday 8 April and the subsequent reduction in available travel services. This has resulted in the local authority’s Safety Advisory Group determining that it is not possible to stage the match with the required levels of safety for attending fans.” A statement from Tottenham read: “This decision has been taken on the recommendation of an emergency Safety Advisory Group (SAG) meeting - chaired by Haringey Council and including representatives from the Club, emergency services, transport partners and the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust - and in agreement with the Premier League, on the basis that only one of the six stations that serve our stadium will be running normally on April 8. “All tickets will remain valid for the new date - we shall shortly be contacting all ticket holders to outline options if they are no longer able to attend. “We apologise for any inconvenience caused to fans by this fixture amendment, which has been made for reasons beyond the Club’s control.”