A rule change by the FA in the summer means that a player who makes a loan deal permanent from one Premier League club to another after the transfer window cannot play against his old "parent" club.
It's a stupid rule that has taken everyone at Pompey and Spurs by surprise and club officials have tried to overturn but can't do anything about until a shareholders' meeting in April.
So this news, added to the suspensions of Muntari and Diop and the injuries to Campbell, Pamarot, Davis and Hughes, means that Harry Redknapp will once again be down to the bare bones when selecting his squad for the Tottenham game.
There is some good news for Defoe though as he, along with David James and Glen Johnson have been selected for the provisional England squad to play France at Wembley next week.