The Premier League encounter between Tottenham and Fulham has been postponed, it has been confirmed.
The game was put in doubt after a number of players and staff at Fulham turned out to be positive for Covid-19 in the latest round of tests.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Premier League confirmed the decision will adding that the league has "full confidence" that the season can go on.
"The match between Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham, due to be played at 18:00 GMT this evening, has been postponed following a Premier League Board meeting this afternoon," the league said in a statement.
"Fulham lodged a request with the Premier League Board to rearrange the fixture following a significant rise in positive Covid-19 cases, as well as a number of players showing symptoms today.
"The Premier League Board has consulted its medical advisors and the decision to postpone the game has been taken as a precaution and with the health of players and staff as the priority. The group will now be retested immediately.
"With low numbers of positive tests across the overwhelming majority of clubs, the Premier League continues to have full confidence in its Covid-19 protocols and being able to continue to play our fixtures as scheduled.
"The League wishes those with Covid-19 a safe and speedy recovery and will rearrange the postponed fixture between Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham in due course."
We can confirm that our Premier League home fixture against Fulham, scheduled to take place this evening, has been postponed. #THFC ⚪️ #COYS
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 30, 2020
The decision to call off the clash in London was made just hours before the match was scheduled to kick-off, with Spurs manager Jose Mourinho mocking the Premier League for the lack of clarity regarding whether or not it would go ahead.
Spurs had already arrived at the stadium to prepare for kick-off and Mourinho posted a video on Instagram with the caption: "Match at 6 pm. We still don’t know if we play. Best league in the world."
Fulham coach Scott Parker was absent for his side's match at home against Southampton on Saturday because he had to isolate for 10 days after a member of his household tested positive for Covid-19, despite the former midfielder returning a negative test. Parker was set to return to the dugout for Wednesday's game.
The encounter at is the third to be postponed this month because of an increase in Covid-19 cases.
The clash between Aston Villa and Newcastle at the start of December was the first to be called off, while this week saw Everton's match against Manchester City postponed just hours before the game was set to start.
The cancellation of Monday's match at Goodison Park upset Everton, who announced later that they had requested full disclosure from the Premier League regarding how the decision was made.
Spurs sit seventh in the English top-flight heading into the match and six points behind leaders Liverpool, who are playing Newcastle on Wednesday night. After a strong start to the season, Mourinho's team have won just one of their last seven matches.
Fulham, meanwhile, are 18th in the league with 11 points from 15 matches. While the Craven Cottage side have won once in their last eight matches, they are on a run of four draws in a row, having taken a point each from Liverpool, Brighton, Newcastle and Southampton.
