Eidevall slams WSL over Utd-Chelsea postponement

Arsenal supervisor Jonas Eidevall criticised the Women’s Super League (WSL) for its “unacceptable” timetable following the rescheduling of Chelsea‘s match towards Manchester United over participant welfare issues.

The postponement, announced only a week before the game, sparked frustration amongst followers, who had been upset by what they noticed as lack of foresight, because the Champions League group stage schedule was set final 12 months and Chelsea’s place in it had been secured following their WSL triumph final season.

Eidevall confused the necessity for the league to enhance its fixture planning, mentioning the impracticality of Chelsea’s unique schedule, which had them going through Manchester United simply 48 hours earlier than internet hosting Real Madrid of their first Champions League group stage match.

“It isn’t an excellent scenario,” the Arsenal boss instructed a information convention on Friday “There are 16 groups concerned within the Champions League group stage. How lots of the groups are enjoying on Sunday, the sixth of October?

“Properly, we’re. In order that’s one which’s type of a lead and if it solely could be us, it will be an Arsenal downside, nevertheless it’s additionally Manchester City enjoying. So it tells you that the one two groups which might be enjoying are English groups. The one different staff that was scheduled to play on the Sunday was Chelsea.

“So out of the 16 groups, 13 groups had been scheduled to play on the Friday or Saturday and the three English groups had been all scheduled to play on the Sunday. Every staff [has] a 50% likelihood or threat relying on the way you see it to play their recreation on the Tuesday. That has been the data that has been there for months.”

When saying the postponement, Ladies’s Skilled Leagues Restricted (WPLL) mentioned in a press release: “In gentle of the proximity between the 2 fixtures, the membership raised its issues relating to participant welfare with the related events. Quite a few discussions have since taken place in an try to search out an amicable answer to this scheduling battle between the league and UEFA.”

Nevertheless, the Arsenal supervisor doesn’t consider blame may be shifted to UEFA with out accountability from the WSL.

“Now we have a league organisation that does not act proactively on these issues. It is damaging for the followers. I feel the followers are the spine of what we’re making an attempt to construct and one of many greatest causes to what we’re doing. I feel that’s merely unacceptable to have folks’s time and money being handled in that means and it isn’t adequate from the league.

“It isn’t adequate guilty it on UEFA as a result of everybody throughout Europe has had the identical data for such a very long time, and the one one which hasn’t acted on that data is the WSL,” he mentioned.

Eidevall additionally mentioned the league’s actions are indicative of its lack of help for English groups within the Champions League.

“Does the league need the English membership groups to achieve success at European degree? And I’d hope the reply to that might be sure, however the actions reveals in a different way. It reveals that this isn’t one in every of their priorities to have the membership achieve success.

“I feel that could be very unfavourable for English girls’s membership soccer as a result of it is essential that that is the primary time within the group stage that three [English] groups attain the group stage and that needs to be one thing that we have fun, as a substitute it turns into an issue. It is essential for the entire league that we’re profitable in Europe as a result of we are able to enhance the coefficient.”

Eidevall additional added that the postponement disadvantages his aspect forward of their conflict with Chelsea on Oct. 13.

Arsenal face Everton this Sunday, then journey to Germany to face Bayern Munich on Wednesday, earlier than internet hosting Chelsea. Following the postponement, Chelsea now have had a free weekend forward of their Tuesday evening residence fixture towards Actual Madrid.

“Now we have significantly much less preparation time than the opponents,” he mentioned. “We’ll be dealing with this drawback in two enormous video games for us. However what wants to vary? I feel the method to the Champions League soccer and the proactiveness and with the respect to the supporters. It has to vary.”