Gary Caldwell has made his feelings known after the EFL insisted that Exeter City‘s game this weekend must go ahead.
The Grecians are due to play Lincoln City this weekend, with the match due to be televised on Sky Sports Football this weekend. Exeter had initially applied for the game to be postponed as they reached the requirements to do that as three of their players are on international duty.
“We Have Been Treated Unfairly”
Josh Magennis, Ilmari Niskanen and Kamari Doyle have all been called up for their nations and the Devon club had filed for a postponement but it has since been turned down by the EFL due to a rule which states that it must be done five days before the fixture. A late call-up for Doyle after the deadline means that ultimately the game at St James’ Park will go ahead despite the absences.
Gary Caldwell vented his frustrations over the ruling, telling the club website:
“It’s hard not to feel like we have been unfairly treated by the EFL and its call up protocol, and in particular the inconsistency between fixture cancellation and call-up timings.
“As the leading supporter owned club in England, we are used to facing the continual financial challenge of competing against much bigger clubs in League One and decisions like this only highlight the constant challenges that smaller clubs like ours face at this level.
“We will continually meet this challenge through our determined squad, our phenomenal academy success and our amazing fans. It is hard enough to compete against these odds without being penalised by rules that no longer seem fit for purpose in the current financial climate of League One, and call into question the sporting integrity of the league overall.”
Exeter have previously had their Saturday home fixtures against Mansfield Town and Birmingham City postponed this season due to international call-ups. The number of postponements has led managers, including Caldwell and ex-Shrewsbury Town boss Paul Hurst to speak out about the potential of bringing international breaks into League One.
Writer’s View
Gary Caldwell is rightfully fuming at this decision. Exeter City are being forced into playing this game without their key players even though they meet the requirements to have their match postponed. This incident gives another reason for international breaks to be introduced into League One and League Two.
1st Class Honours in Multimedia Journalism at Salford University. Writing mainly about League Two.
