Blackburn Rovers head coach Valerien Ismael has branded the EFL’s decision to order a replay of their fixture against Ipswich Town ‘disgraceful’.
Last weekend’s events have been the cause for much debate over the last seven days. The clash between the two teams at Ewood Park was halted in the 80th minute after the referee deemed the pitch unplayable following heavy downpours.
Rovers were leading the game 1-0 thanks to a Todd Cantwell penalty, whilst Ipswich had been reduced to 10 men following the sending off of defender Jacob Greaves. This had led to calls from the home team that they should be awarded the win, but the EFL announced on Thursday that the fixture will be replayed in its entirety at a later date.
Ismael Fuming With ‘Disgraceful Decision’
Blackburn travel to Charlton Athletic this afternoon in search of their third win of the campaign. Of course, they feel that should have come a week ago, with Ismael launching a verbal tirade at the EFL. Speaking to the media, the 49-year-old said:
“I have to be careful what I say. I don’t want to put myself in danger as well.
“I’ll just make one statement. It’s a disgraceful decision. It’s really bad publicity for English football. I received a lot of messages from abroad, where I worked.
“A lot of people, different people, sporting directors, CEOs, players, colleagues, managers. Everyone was shocked with that decision. It just shows that it’s not right.
“You just need to deal with the situation now. We keep all the options open. What is the next step? This is the case for the board.
“Even the timing to receive the decision as well. When you have a full week to make a decision and you get the decision that late at the end. It just shows that it’s urgent to get new guidelines because it’s completely wrong how it is right now.
“I think the club needs to assess the situation to keep all the options open. What is the best option? We have to defend the interests of the club.”
Writer’s View
It’s understandable that Ismael feels angry about the decision, but that doesn’t make him right. The EFL had absolutely no choice but to order a replay. Football is a 90 minute game and we all know how many goals can be scored at the death. Blackburn themselves conceded two against Birmingham City just last month in added time which saw them lose 2-1. Even though Ipswich were down to 10 men, there was absolutely no guarantee they would have won that game. They’d be best placed not to appeal the decision because it would be a waste of everyone’s time.
