Question Number: 35667

League Specific 8/27/2024

RE: Under 19

Neil Bryant of Irvine , Ayrshire Scotland asks...

Hi…Team A are at Home v Team B. There is 18 mins to go plus 3 mins added on time. It’s 1-1 and the opening day of the League for the 2007 age group. A storm floods the pitch instantaneously. The ref abandons the game. A few days later, Team A are texted a message from their Association giving them the option of replaying the game at a later date or leave the score as it was. Team A wanted a replay. While Team B (away) were happy to settle for a point. Imho, this decision is completely unjustified in that, one - there are nine months remaining of the season to reschedule. And two - Team A are being denied 21 minutes of home advantage. Twenty one minutes is a long time in a football match……surely?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Neil
Thanks for the question.

The answer rests in the Rules of Competition for that league not the Laws of the Game.
Also your question is confusing in that you say that Team A was given two options?
Most competitions might have three options
1. The result stands
2. The remaining 21 minutes are played out
3. The game is replayed in full.

A decision would usually result on one option being decided on and conveyed to both teams rather than allowing options.

The decision can be influenced by factors such as
Travel distances and costs.
How much of the game has already been played?
If less than 20 minutes remaining in regular time that can be the cut off for no replay in some ROCs
Is goal difference a factor?
The cause of the abandonment?

Like all decisions a club has the option to appeal any decision to a higher authority within a timeframe and on payment of an appeal fee.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Neil,
Unfortunately, this is not really a refereeing question. What happens if a game is abandoned before being completed is a matter for the competition organisers to decide. They should take a decision based on what is contained in the rules of competition.

Without knowing the rules of competition that are in place here it's difficult to judge but I would say it is a little unusual for the competition organizers to leave things up to the two teams - precisely because as you allude to, that can lead to them choosing different options based on what suits them better. It would be more usual (and I think, preferable) for the competition organisers to make a decision by themselves and convey that decision to the two teams involved