Football League hit out at UEFA's 'unwillingness to co-operate' after being forced into 'disappointing' changes to Liverpool v Spurs in the Carabao Cup - as well as Everton and Wolves ties

The EFL has hit out at UEFA for their ‘unwillingness to co-operate’ over scheduling conflicts between the Carabao Cup and the Champions League.

Teams playing in Europe enter the Carabao Cup in round three and as such the draw was altered to ensure those teams were not able to face each other.

But just three days after the EFL confirmed the dates and times of the third round games, they have been forced into a number of switches which, according to the Football League’s governing body, is due to the stubbornness of UEFA.

Championship side Wolves have seen two of their matches altered as a result of the upheaval caused by the Champions League schedule, which was only confirmed on Saturday lunchtime, while Everton have also been affected, much to the bemusement of the EFL.

‘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’s 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.’

Liverpool and Spurs will meet at Anfield but the EFL have changed the date of the tie

Everton’s third round Carabao Cup match was originally slated for Wednesday September 9 at 7.45pm, while city rivals Liverpool were due to host Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in round three a week later on Wednesday September 16.

But Liverpool’s UEFA Champions League draw means that Everton will now host Wolves on September 16, with Liverpool taking on Tottenham 24 hours earlier.

That disruption also means that Wolves’ Championship game against Portsmouth at Molineux has been pushed back a month 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 statement 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, however in those discussions it was made clear that they were unwilling to consider rescheduling the Liverpool v Atletico Madrid fixture due to the impact on supporters travelling from overseas.

'Disappointingly, the League has therefore been forced to make changes.’

UEFA have been approached for comment.