London: West Bromwich Albion have complained to the Premier League, urging them to reschedule Tuesday’s clash at West Ham United because of the vast difference in recovery periods for the two teams, British media has reported.
West Brom snatched a 1-1 home draw against Arsenal on Sunday and play West Ham on Tuesday night, West Ham have not played since last week’s 3-3 draw at Bournemouth but are in action again on Thursday against Tottenham Hotspur.
Reports said West Brom chairman John Williams spoke to Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore about Tuesday’s match with 18th-placed West Ham at the London stadium.
“We all know there’s pressure on TV companies for ratings and everything else and games — I understand that. But the league’s got to be stronger and say two days is not right,” West Brom manager Alan Pardew said.
West Ham’s televised fixture at Spurs was scheduled for New Year’s Eve but moved because of safety concerns over the reduced capacity at underground stations around Wembley Stadium, which meant the arena would only accommodate 43,000 spectators.
Asked if he was forced to make changes to his side because of the frequency of games, Pardew said: “Of course I am. There’s some players who won’t be able to cope with that. I’d be putting them at risk.” West Brom are 19th in the table with 16 points from 21 games and are winless in 19 games.
