Organiser's have rescheduled the match to be played behind closed doors due to 'health and safety concerns.' Photo / Getty.
Organiser's have rescheduled the match to be played behind closed doors due to 'health and safety concerns.' Photo / Getty.
Saracens's Champions Cup match against Clermont Auvergne has been postponed due to "hazardous conditions" and will take place behind closed doors at Allianz Park.
The match has been confirmed to kick-off at 5:30pm but due to ongoing 'concerns with health and safety' it was decided no spectators would beallowed to attend.
Clermont later released a statement on social media saying: "We are very disappointed for the many supporters who had made the trip to England and who had to return to France without seeing the match against Saracens due to the inability of the club and local authorities to get access to the stadium possible."
An earlier statement from the European Professional Club Rugby also read: Due to hazardous conditions on the approach roads to Allianz Park, and in the immediate vicinity of the stadium, it was decided not to play the match as scheduled with the health and safety of spectators, players and staff in mind."
Saracens will battle it out against Clermont Auvergne in the rescheduled match on Monday at 5:30. Photo / getty
After hours of discussion on Sunday evening, the decision to arrange the match on Monday came with the incentive that there would be no free weekends before the scheduled conclusion of the pool stage in January.
However, it wasn't so much the change of day that had fans upset, it was the exclusion from viewing the game that came to their surprise.
A reporter from the Daily Mirror said on Twitter he wasn't at all comfortable with a game of this magnitude being played behind closed doors while many fans have already discussed crashing the event despite the organiser's decision.
Not at all comfortable with idea of a game of this magnitude being played behind closed doors. I get the logistical challenges but this is professional sport. Frankly, the fans deserve better. #Saracens#clermont
How do they intend to stop the hundreds of fans that will inevitably turn up at the ground from gaining entry? This could turn into an unprecedented disaster for all concerned. This new organizing committe are "really" great.
It is still unclear in what capacity ticket holders will be refunded, to what has been labelled as one of the most anticipated games of the season with fewer than 500 tickets remaining unsold as announced last Monday.
In repsonse to concerns, Champions Cup has recently confirmed on social media that the rescheduled match will be televised for fans to view.
In December 2010, Edinburgh's Heineken Cup match against Castres was postponed for 24 hours due to similar weather concerns and played behind closed doors at Murrayfield on the Monday afternoon.
