Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta calls for clarity over Covid-related postponements
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Arsenal are seventh in the Premier League, four points off the top four
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has called for greater clarity from the Premier League regarding Covid-related postponements of matches.
Tottenham's Premier League match at Brighton on Sunday has been postponed after an outbreak at the London club.
However, Arsenal's opening game against Brentford went ahead despite a number of cases among the Gunners' players.
"You don't know when you have to play and when you don't," said Arteta, when asked if the rules are too vague.
On whether the Premier League should adopt Uefa's rules, which give a clear number of Covid cases to determine whether a game goes ahead as planned, Arteta added: "That would be really, really helpful."
At present there is no out and out threshold for the number of positive cases which would cause a game to be called off in the English top flight.
A club would need to contact the league to ask for a match to be rearranged - as Tottenham did before their match against Brighton and a Premier League Board meeting subsequently took place on Thursday.
Spurs were forced to close their first-team training centre on Wednesday and the club's Europa Conference League match against Rennes was postponed a day later after eight players and five members of staff tested positive.
It is understood Arsenal did not request a postponement before their 2-0 defeat at Brentford in August, which saw Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Alex Runarsson miss out following positive tests.
"I think the decision has to be made to protect the players and the environment. For me this is the first thing," said Arteta.
"Afterwards we need to maintain certain criteria so the clubs that are competing can all compete in the same conditions. But for me the most important thing is health."
He added: "It's about the decision making that goes the same way for everybody and this is what we have to hope for.
"We [want to] know the context where we're going to be competing and if there are certain things that you don't meet, then the game is off, and if you do, the game is on. We all know and it's a fair competition."
Fellow Premier League side Leicester City also had a number of Covid-related absences for their Europa League defeat at Napoli on Thursday, while manager Dean Smith says Norwich City face an anxious wait for test results before their match against Manchester United on Saturday.
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