Sunderland and Reading forced to wait until December to play rained off game

Sunderland and Reading are being forced to play their re-arranged Premier League game in December due to UEFA regulations which forbid top flight matches being played in the same week as scheduled Champions League and Europa League clashes.

Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill has called for the Premier League to support both clubs' push for their postponed August league game to be switched to October to avoid a major fixture backlog in December.

At present all Premier League club will play six league games, including three in a week between December 22 and 29, which in Sunderland's case is followed by the visit to Liverpool on New Year's Day while Reading travel to Tottenham.

Rainy day: Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill and Reading manager Brian McDermott during a pitch inspection at the Stadium of Light

Sunderland and Reading have been in talks to reschedule this season's first home game at the Stadium of Light which was postponed just hours before kick-off due to a waterlogged pitch.

But their plans to move the game to next month have been blocked by UEFA regulations and they are limited with alternative dates because the UEFA calendar now takes up 21 days in the season. When the Premier League started the figure was 13.

They are now hoping the Premier League will back plans to play the game in a UEFA week, just as the Merseyside derby was given special dispensation last season.

Off you go: Lee Cattermole is sent off against MK Dons

Sunderland are also keen to play the game before the Tyne-Wear derby on October 21 which would allow captain Lee Cattermole to play against Newcastle United.

O'Neill said: 'There have been discussions between the two clubs and the Premier League but we can't play games in a European week which means the only time then would be December where there is only 58 games in 31 days.

'It is absolutely extraordinarily and it would be really crazy and ludicrous to move it to December and the worst possible outcome when we are already overloaded. It would not be fair on the players in particular, particularly when they are always talking about injuries due to the amount of games.'



Not happy: Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill wants to talk to Cattermole about his disciplinary record

Cattermole starts a three-match ban this week following his sending off against MK Dons in midweek and although O'Neill is still unhappy with his skipper's fifth red card in a Sunderland shirt he says he will keep the captain's armband once John O'Shea has worn it in his absence.

O'Neill still intends to discuss Cattermole's appalling disciplinary record with his captain and says he must now start to improve to make life more difficult for referees who are perhaps quick to single him out.

He said: 'On the positive side he is really sorry about it but so am I. Whether you are captain or not you need some sort of discipline about you and it becomes an issue because of the number of times he has been sent off.