The English Football League has criticized UEFA for an unwillingness to cooperate after European scheduling conflicts forced changes to several Carabao Cup third round matches, including Liverpool's tie against Tottenham Hotspur and Everton's meeting with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The fixture adjustments come just three days after the EFL confirmed its third round schedule, following UEFA's announcement of the Champions League league phase dates on Saturday.
In a statement, the EFL expressed frustration over the situation, pointing out that domestic leagues have repeatedly adapted their schedules to accommodate the expansion of European club competitions.
"Over recent seasons the League has made a number of changes to accommodate the expansion of UEFA Club competitions, a decision which was made without adequate consultation with domestic leagues," the EFL statement read.
"These changes have included splitting Carabao Cup Round Three ties across two weeks, and implementing draw conditions for Round Three which prevent scheduling conflicts for clubs playing in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League."
"This makes UEFA’s unwillingness to co-operate all the more frustrating, not least for the supporters of the five impacted clubs, and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused."
Rescheduled Carabao Cup and Championship fixtures
The fixture clash arose because Merseyside rivals Liverpool and Everton cannot host matches on the same evening. Everton's third round tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Goodison Park was originally scheduled for Wednesday, September 9 at 7.45pm.
However, UEFA scheduled Liverpool's Champions League match against Atletico Madrid at Anfield for the same date. As a result, Everton will now host Wolves on Wednesday, September 16, while Liverpool will take on Tottenham Hotspur 24 hours earlier, on Tuesday, September 15.
The disruption has also affected Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers beyond their cup tie. Wolves' Championship fixture against Portsmouth at Molineux has been pushed back by more than a month, moving from September 16 to October 20.
"The EFL has been left with no option than to rearrange a number of its fixtures following the announcement of fixture details for the league phase of the UEFA Champions League," the EFL added.
"On August 28 we confirmed that the Carabao Cup Round Three tie between Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers had been scheduled for Wednesday September 9. This was confirmed with local stakeholders as per usual practice ahead of announcement."
"On Saturday, UEFA announced that it had scheduled Liverpool v Atletico Madrid for the same date, despite it being clear that Everton and Liverpool cannot play home fixtures on the same evening."
The EFL met with UEFA officials on Monday morning to explore available options, but UEFA made clear it was unwilling to reschedule the Liverpool v Atletico Madrid game. "Disappointingly, the League has therefore been forced to make changes," the statement concluded.
UEFA response on supporter travel commitments
In a statement to Daily Mail Sport, European football's governing body defended its decision, stating that no issues had been raised before the Champions League fixture lists were published.
"UEFA regularly receives scheduling requests from associations, leagues and clubs and always does its best to accommodate reasonable requests wherever possible," UEFA stated. "In this case, no issue had been raised with UEFA during the scheduling process, and the potential conflict only became apparent after the publication of the fixture lists."
UEFA added that altering dates after publication would unfairly impact international fans. "At that stage, it was not possible to make changes, particularly given the significant number of supporters who may already have arranged international travel and accommodation. We believe that these commitments deserve to be respected."
"UEFA remains in contact with the relevant stakeholders, and we appreciate all efforts to minimise any local operational challenges," the governing body added.
Domestic cup structure and European expansion
The English Football League, established in 1888, governs the three divisions below the Premier League as well as the Carabao Cup. The tournament features all 92 clubs from England's top four tiers, with teams competing in European tournaments entering in the third round.
UEFA, which governs football across Europe, expanded its European club competitions for the current season, introducing a league phase that added extra fixture dates to the calendar. The expansion has placed increased pressure on midweek match slots across domestic leagues.
In English football, clubs located in the same city, such as Liverpool and Everton in Merseyside, are subject to local scheduling restrictions. Police and local authorities prevent both clubs from hosting home matches on the same evening to manage public safety, transport networks, and stadium crowd control.
