Why Sheffield Wednesday haven't confirmed Cambridge United postponement as fans wait
Sheffield Wednesday seem likely to undertake a three-week break from League One football starting later this month.
The fate of one Sheffield Wednesday match is yet to be confirmed ahead of the upcoming international break - with one clash already having been confirmed as off.
Back-to-back rounds of FIFA-scheduled international matches will take place over the two weekends following Saturday’s Hillsborough match against Stockport County, with Wednesday’s September 26 trip to Stevenage on the former Saturday already having been postponed due to call-ups on the opposition end. Clubs are given the option of postponing matches if they have three or more players brought in to international duty.
That leaves the October 3 visit of Cambridge United. A statement released by Wednesday earlier this week made clear that ‘supporters will be informed at the earliest possible opportunity’ as and when it is possible to do so and that call-ups were expected to be confirmed to the club later this week.
The Star understands that the club have been told by the relevant federations that some Wednesday players are on a selection ‘longlist’ for their nation’s upcoming round of fixtures, but absolute confirmation of their place in a finalised squad is yet to arrive in some cases. As previously reported, the expectation appears to be that those players will be confirmed in due course but things are for now left in a degree of limbo until official confirmations are delivered. Only then can supporters be informed.
On-loan winger Kieran Morrison’s inclusion in the senior Northern Ireland squad for four Nations League fixtures has been confirmed, as has the involvement of Sean Fusire in Zimbabwe’s two upcoming AFCON qualifiers. Fusire, however, will not count towards the tally of three or more call-ups required to enact a postponement given he has not featured in the requisite amount of League One football this season. Will Grainger’s possible involvement in the Welsh youth ranks would also not qualify.
The likes of Ali Al-Hamadi (Iraq), Yan Valery (Tunisia) and Harry Gray (England u20s) are the players most likely to receive an international call-up, while Gabriel Otegbayo will still qualify for inclusion in the Republic of Ireland u21 side.