The English Football League has confirmed that Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town must submit their official statements by 4pm on Wednesday, September 24, following the abandonment of their Championship fixture at Ewood Park.
The match, played on September 20, was halted in the 80th minute when referee Steve Martin deemed the pitch unplayable due to heavy rain. At that stage, Blackburn were 1-0 ahead thanks to a Todd Cantwell penalty, while Ipswich were down to ten men after Jacob Greaves’ dismissal.
The abandonment left uncertainty over the outcome, with the EFL now weighing up whether the score will stand or if the match will have to be replayed. A final decision is expected later this week.
In a statement, the league explained:
“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.”
Blackburn boss Valerien Ismael made his feelings clear, insisting his side deserved the points given the circumstances:
“When you’re 1-0 up, with the opposition reduced to ten men, the momentum is with you. Yes, they might still score, but equally we had opportunities to increase the lead. We’ve been in the reverse situation ourselves before — when down to ten at Norwich, we felt we could get something, but ended up losing. This time, the data and the game itself showed we were firmly on top. For me, the fair decision is that we take the three points.”
Matches being abandoned are rare, with such decisions requiring referee approval or intervention from authorities. When they do occur, the EFL has several options:
Award the result as it stood at the time of abandonment.
Order a full replay of the fixture.
In some cases, decide on a partial replay depending on the circumstances.
Factors such as the scoreline, minutes played, and the cause of the abandonment are all considered.
At present, both Blackburn (18th) and Ipswich (17th) sit level on six points in the Championship table, making the ruling significant for their early-season campaigns.