Jonas Eidevall has accused Women’s Professional Leagues Ltd (WPLL), the organization that oversees the Women’s Super League, of displaying “amateurish behavior” and demanded greater consideration for teams participating in European competitions. This follows the postponement of Sunday’s match between Chelsea and Manchester United, which was rescheduled because Chelsea is set to compete in the Champions League on Tuesday. The European fixture schedule has been public knowledge for a year, and the likelihood of three English teams reaching the group stage was anticipated. However, all three teams—Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City—were initially scheduled to play on Sunday, ahead of a potential Tuesday European fixture. Despite UEFA’s inflexibility regarding long-term scheduling, WPLL, which also manages the Women’s Championship, decided to postpone Manchester United’s sold-out visit to Kingsmeadow to face the current WSL champions. This move grants Chelsea a free weekend before their home game against Real Madrid on Tuesday and their WSL match against Arsenal the following Saturday. Meanwhile, Arsenal will play Everton on Sunday and Bayern Munich on Wednesday, giving them an additional match before hosting Sonia Bompastor’s side at the Emirates, along with one less day to prepare post-Champions League.
“It’s insufficient to blame UEFA, as everyone across Europe has had the same information for an extended period, and the only entity that hasn’t acted on it is the WSL,” Eidevall stated. “Due to this amateurish behavior, with no proactive plan and the removal of a game from Chelsea, we now find ourselves in a situation where we play on Sunday and then travel to face Bayern Munich on Wednesday—who play on Saturday, benefiting from a league organization that values giving its top teams an advantage—and then we return to play against Chelsea at the Emirates on Saturday. We have significantly less preparation time than our opponents, placing us at a sporting disadvantage in two crucial games.” Eidevall also expressed concerns over the “lack of clarity and transparency” in decision-making and questioned when the rescheduled fixture would take place. “For me, everything must be as fair as possible; that’s how we compete, not just in football but in life generally,” he said. “I struggle to comprehend postponing one game and granting sporting advantages to another team without even knowing when that game will be played.”
The manager also criticized the initial scheduling of all games for likely Champions League participants on Sunday. “Of the 16 teams competing in the Champions League group stage, 13 were scheduled to play on Friday or Saturday, while the three English teams were all scheduled for Sunday, each with a 50% chance of playing on Tuesday. This information has been available for months,” he noted. “Does the league want English club teams to succeed at the European level? I would hope the answer is yes, but the actions indicate otherwise. It suggests that ensuring the success of club teams is not a priority, which is detrimental to English women’s football.” Matt Beard, whose Liverpool side lost to Manchester United in the League Cup on Wednesday, echoed Eidevall’s frustrations. “I can’t believe the decision was made. I don’t understand it,” he said. “I believe if the league was still under the FA, it wouldn’t have been called off. It’s crazy.” Beard also pointed out that the decision gave Manchester United an advantage over Liverpool in their Wednesday match, as they didn’t have to prepare for Chelsea that week. “I just hope this doesn’t become a recurring issue,” he added.
In announcing the postponement last week, WPLL apologized to supporters, stating: “In this instance, we must prioritize player welfare, and we will announce a new date for the fixture in due course. We thank the clubs and Sky Sports for their understanding as we work towards a resolution.”
