MARTIN O’NEILL has criticised UEFA for their “crazy” regulations which effectively prevent Sunderland rearranging their postponed match with Reading until December.

The Black Cats were keen to re-schedule the game against the Royals – due to take place at the Stadium of Light on August 18 but called off owing to a waterlogged pitch – sooner rather than later, but a UEFA regulation relating to playing Premier League matches on the same evening as a European match has restricted the club’s options.

Arranging the Reading game for next month could have created a situation where Lee Cattermole , who was sent off during Tuesday’s Capital One Cup victory over MK Dons, could still face Newcastle United on October 21.

However, as it stands, skipper Cattermole, who received the backing of O’Neill yesterday, will serve the final match of his three-game ban in the stands at Newcastle.

It is understood the Premier League would be supportive in the club’s quest to arrange the Reading fixture, but the European football authorities are intransigent towards a rule change after continued wrangles with the Premier League over the issue.

Last season, the Premier League refused to sign a memorandum of understanding that was agreed between the European Professional Football Leagues because they say playing matches on European nights is sometimes unavoidable.

Yesterday, O’Neill labelled the situation “ludicrous” and called on the Premier League for their support.

“There has been discussion with both clubs and the Premier League – and you may find the reasons extraordinary – we were to wait to see if we both got through the Capital One Cup, but the Premier League said that we couldn’t play a game in European week. The only time then would be December for us where there is something like 57 games.

“It’s absolutely extraordinary.

The two clubs could get together, we could organise it well before December, because to me that is almost insult to injury. Just extraordinary.

“It is really crazy with games in December, it’s the worst possible time. I am sure both clubs – and I don’t want to speak for Reading here at all – would like to play it sooner rather than later if only just to catch up on fixtures.

“I think it would be ludicrous to play another fixture in December when we are overloaded. It would not be fair to the players, when they are always talking to us about injuries.”

Cattermole will miss tomorrow’s match against Wigan, Sunderland’s trip to Manchester City a week later before a two-week break running up to the derby match.

While O’Neill has not discussed the issue of captaincy with the Stockton-born 24- year old, the manager is not expected to make a change.

When asked about the captaincy, O’Neill said: “I hadn’t really thought about that – primarily because I have plenty of time to think about it.

“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. You need guidelines but what I want to stop, whether he is captain or not, is lunging in and there are different ways in this game to tackle, and he is capable of doing it. I have said that before and obviously I have been wrong.

“Deep down I don’t think I will be changing things on the understanding he shows a willingness to change that part of his game and that balancing act you have to get.

“He is an excellent closerdown, he is the one that will get the boys going. Players respond to that and I think those things I would take into consideration if I have decision to make, but I do have time to think about it.

“OK. I have thought about it. He is still the captain.”

O’Neill believes Cattermole will continue to be overlooked for England if his disciplinary record continues to be an issue.

He said: “It is my responsibility and I have to do more if that is the case.

“I don’t know how forcefully it can be made but he will be ignored because even if he was being considered in that field, then he is going to be ignored because of his record.

“He closes players down as effectively as anyone I have ever known, but he has to curb the lunging at other players.

“There is also the possibility of him doing irreparable damage to other players and he has got to cut that out.”