Picture the scene: you’re the plucky underdog taking on the favourites to win your league title. You take a one-goal lead, witness one of your opposition’s players get sent off and, despite getting a pelting from heavy rain, get ready to play out the final ten minutes of a famous victory.
But then the referee decides that the rain has gotten too heavy; that the ball is no longer able to travel across the turf properly and that player safety is jeopardised. So, the game is abandoned. Not to worry, you might think. Given that the match was called off as late as the 79th minute, you will be awarded the victory anyway. Right?
Right!? Wrong. Despite those exact circumstances playing out at Ewood Park during a Championship clash between Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town, the powers that be subsequently decided that the game must be replayed in full… from a 0-0 start, and with eleven men on both sides.
In the space of a single afternoon, the veil was lifted on English football’s truly bizarre rules on abandoned games.
📰 Club Statement: EFL Board decision
Blackburn Rovers regrettably confirms that the EFL Board has ruled that the Championship fixture against Ipswich Town should be replayed in full at a later date.
Click below to read the club’s full statement ⬇️#Rovers 🔵⚪️
— Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) September 25, 2025
What Are the Rules on Abandoned Games in Football?
In the aftermath of the contest, Blackburn boss Valerian Ismael was adamant that the Lancastrians should have been awarded the win. He said,
We’ve got the right to want the three points because it’s the fair thing to do, especially when the opponent is down to ten.
EFL’s Call for a Replayed Game
However, the decision by the English Football League (EFL) to call for a replayed game has drawn bafflement from fans around the globe, with even Ipswich supporters claiming that Blackburn have been hard done by. An EFL statement reads:
It was ultimately decided by a majority that the fixture should be replayed in full. 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.
Will Blackburn Appeal the Decision?
Unsurprisingly, Ipswich have largely decided to keep quiet on the matter, but Blackburn’s representatives spoke out almost immediately after the verdict became known – revealing that they will likely appeal the decision. A spokesperson commented:
Whilst 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.
The club is now seeking further clarity from the EFL and will consider all options, including the right to appeal the decision.
What the EFL Rulebook Says
If the EFL’s hands were tied due to English football’s rulebook, you could have some sympathy for them. However, there is a mechanism via which Blackburn could have been awarded the contest. According to the rules, there are three possible outcomes when a Premier League or EFL game is abandoned after kick-off, but before the 90th minute is reached:
- Replayed in full
- Replayed from the minute in which it was abandoned
- The result standing and the game counting as ‘completed’
But the EFL has chosen to replay the game in full, with both teams starting with eleven men from a 0-0 start, without offering much in the way of explanation as to why. Even more bizarrely, Jacob Greaves’ red card from the original fixture WILL stand… which suggests that the EFL have recognised the game as having administrative importance.
What Is the Latest That a Football Match Has Been Abandoned?
🚨😳 Troyes fans protesting against their team after they are on the verge of being relegated from Ligue 2! 🇫🇷🔻
Players throwing the pyrotechnics back! Game abandoned.
Troyes, who are owned by City Football Group, were in Ligue 1 just last season. 😨 pic.twitter.com/E59AZ1tuA9
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) May 3, 2024
Believe it or not, there are examples out there of football matches that have been abandoned after the 79th minute… in fact, there are instances in which the game has been waved off as late as the 89th minute!
Not Enough Players
But first, to the so-called ‘Battle of Bramall Lane’ between Sheffield United and West Brom back in March 2002. This is the only professional game in English football history to be abandoned due to one of the teams not having enough players to finish the contest.
It all started when Sheffield United’s goalkeeper Simon Tracey was sent off as early as the ninth minute. Then two more Blades players, Georges Santos and Patrick Suffo, were given their marching orders. To make matters worse, two Sheffield United players were subsequently injured and unable to continue. Given that Neil Warnock had used all of his substitutions, the Yorkshiremen were unable to fulfil the rest of the game – it was abandoned in the 82nd minute, with the 3-0 scoreline in West Brom’s favour standing.
Floodlight Failure
And now for a host of matches abandoned as late as the 89th minute… Floodlight failure caused Aldershot’s game with Exeter City back in 1977 to be abandoned, while a serious head injury suffered by Nicky Hunt forced an abandonment to the contest between Darlington and Boston in 2020.
Fan Mischief
Sometimes, fan mischief can cause a game to be abandoned late on. French club Troyes were on the brink of relegation at the end of the 2023/24 season, when their supporters decided to stage an epic protest in the 89th minute of their game with Valenciennes. They threw a flurry of smoke bombs and flares onto the pitch, and with the atmosphere on the terraces well and truly soured, the match officials decided that it would be safer to abandon the game… despite there being just one minute of normal time left to play.
No replay was ordered and the 1-1 scoreline at the time stood. Santos fans staged a similar last-minute protest of their own during the 2023 Brazilian Serie A campaign. So miffed were they by the team’s results, they threw fireworks onto the pitch during a game against Corinthians. Unsurprisingly, that match was abandoned too, with Corinthians allowed to claim their 2-0 lead at the time as a victory.
Even at international level, fans have caused abandonments as late as the 89th minute. A Scandinavian shootout between Denmark and Sweden during qualifying for EURO 2008 ended in chaos when a ‘supporter’ ran onto the pitch. The Danes had fought back from 0-3 down to draw level at 3-3, before Christian Poulsen was sent off in the 89th minute and a penalty awarded to the Swedes. That caused fury in the stands, with the individual mentioned able to get onto the pitch and move threateningly towards the referee.
The official, Herbert Fandel, left the field, with Sweden subsequently awarded a 3-0 forfeit victory by UEFA.
