Blackburn Rovers vs Ipswich Town: The Championship match being controversially replayed after September abandonment

The Sky Bet Championship match between Blackburn and Ipswich will be replayed at Ewood Park on Tuesday December 2. Here’s a reminder of why.

Why is the game being replayed?

Blackburn hosted Ipswich at Ewood Park on Saturday September 20 and were leading 1-0, thanks to Todd Cantwell’s 60th-minute penalty.

They also had a one player more than their opponents, owing to Jacob Greaves’ red card after 49 minutes.

But referee Stephen Martin paused the game and took the players off the pitch with just over 10 minutes of the 90 to play, with the playing surface becoming increasingly waterlogged due to torrential rain.

After a break of around 20 minutes, and with no significant improvement in the conditions, he made the decision to abandon the game.

What did the managers say at the time?

Speaking on Blackburn’s YouTube channel on September 23, Valerien Ismael made it clear the decision was out of his hands.

He said: “We had no choice but to accept the decision. We made our point on the situation, we prepared our case, to have that understanding that, at that time, we were on the front foot, so we expect we can get the reward because I think this is the fair thing to do.

“One thing, from my side, has to be really clear. I never agreed to stop the game. I had no choice, because the referee made it clear that he had to abandon the game. He said sorry and the EFL will take the decision.”

Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna said: “It was impossible to finish the game. From the start of the second half the pitch was getting to the point of unplayable really.

“It was really slushy before the game started, but the ball rolled okay in the first half. It was holding up a little bit. But in the second half, the footing was too slippery to be safe, then the ball stops moving.

“It was an inevitable decision that could maybe have been made earlier. In the end there was no other option.”

What about the EFL?

A brief statement released on Wednesday September 24 said: “Following the abandonment of the Sky Bet Championship fixture between Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town, the two clubs were given a deadline of 4pm today to make any final representations to the league.

“Once in receipt of the submissions, the matter will be discussed by the EFL board before the end of this week, with the outcome to be confirmed shortly thereafter.”

It was discussed on Ref Watch…

And you had your say…

We ran a poll on skysports.com, asking: “Of the possible options, how should the EFL rule on Blackburn vs Ipswich?”

Fifty-eight per cent of voters chose to restart the game from where it was postponed, with Blackburn 1-0 up, 31 per cent voted in favour of awarding Blackburn a 1-0 win and 11 per cent voted in favour of the game being replayed in its entirety.

But what decision was reached?

“The board comprehensively considered all options available in accordance with the regulations alongside representations made by both clubs. It was ultimately decided by a majority that the fixture should be replayed in full,” read a statement released by the EFL on Thursday September 25.

“The decision follows recent precedents relating to abandoned fixtures and is intended to uphold the integrity of the league competition which should, wherever possible, be based on a complete set of fixtures played to a conclusion on the day.

“The board recognised that this was an incredibly difficult decision and agreed to consult clubs on the best approach to the development of new guidance to be considered in the event of a match abandonment.”

On Wednesday October 1, Sky Sports News reported Ipswich would not consider allowing Blackburn to score a goal unopposed during their rearranged fixture.

On Thursday October 9, there was confirmation that the game would be replayed on Tuesday December 2 at 7.45pm.

What was the response from the clubs?

Blackburn released a statement, which read: “While Blackburn Rovers respects the processes undertaken by the EFL and acknowledges the complexities involved, the club is extremely disappointed by the outcome, which fails to take into account the significant advantages Rovers held at the time of abandonment.

“Blackburn Rovers is committed to upholding the integrity of the competition; however we strongly feel that the decision to replay the entire fixture does not accurately reflect the circumstances on the day.”

Speaking in a video published on the club’s X account, Ismael added: “I have to be careful with what I say; I don’t want to put myself in danger, but I will just make one statement: it’s a disgraceful decision.

“It’s really bad publicity for English football. I received a lot of messages from abroad, where I, from sporting directors, CEOs, players, colleagues, managers and everyone was shocked with that. It just shows it’s not right.”

Ipswich noted the decision, but released no reaction at the time. However, in an interview with Sky Sports’ Simeon Gholam in October, McKenna offered his thoughts on the situation.

“It was a strange day,” he said. “We tried to stay dignified and let things play out. The pitch was incredibly wet. It was playable in the first half but not in the second. The game was rightly stopped, albeit very late.

“It was the only fair decision. We don’t get any points for it, but we’ll go back there later in the season and try to win in fair conditions. We’ve not overthought it. We’ve just moved on and focused on our other games.”