Question Number: 29107

League Specific 1/17/2015

RE: Adult

Alex Preston of Edinburgh, Scotland asks...

If a match is abandoned for reasons of poor weather etc, under Scottish or English Football association laws does the game always get replayed, or can the score at abandonment be considered as the final score?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Alex
Many abandonments for poor weather usually result in a replay. The matter is always decided by the competition organisers based on the referees report. In the absence of a competition rule the Laws of the Game states that an abandoned game is replayed.
In one League that I officiate in there is a competition rule which allow for a replay or for the remaining time to be played out or for the result to stand if 75 minutes or more has been played.
I suspect that the game will be replayed as a cursory glance at the SFA rule book does not mention any particular rule on abandonments in respect of weather but gives the Judicial Panel powers to decide on games abandoned for other reasons such as spectators issues.
There have been games that have been abandoned for poor behaviour and the result has stood based on the fact that the team guilty of the abandonment should not benefit from that poor behaviour.