New videos have emerged which explained why Saturday's Championship fixture featuring Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town had to be abandoned just ten minutes before full-time at Ewood Park. Blackburn were leading 1-0 against ten-man Ipswich, who are part-owned by singer Ed Sheeran, when the referee stopped the game due to torrential rain and, after checking the pitch conditions, called it off.
Yellow weather warning was issued
Before the game kicked off, a yellow weather warning was issued by the Met Office. Despite the rain, the match went ahead as scheduled and it was goalless in the first half. The visitors were reduced to ten men after the break as Jacob Greaves was shown a red card for a clumsy last-man foul on Yuki Ohashi. Minutes later, Todd Cantwell scored from the penalty spot to hand his team the lead. As Rovers were racing towards a win, the game had to be halted due to the deteriorating condition of the playing surface.
AdvertisementVideos show why referee abandoned the match
A video shared by journalist Alex Jones on X revealed that the referee tested the pitch condition by rolling the ball on a couple of occasions. In the video, the ball can be seen getting stuck due to a waterlogged pitch. Meanwhile, UK broadcaster ITV have shown the moment the referee brought play to a halt.
Stadium announcer delivers bad news to home fans
Addressing the fans at Ewood Park, the stadium announcer said: "Thank you for your patience. Game abandoned. A decision will be made by the officials whether the match will be replayed in due course."
Getty Images SportWhen will the match be played?
The replay date for the Championship clash has not been announced yet, and it is not yet known whether it will be fulfilled in its entirety or from just the point the initial match was stopped.