What happens if a soccer match is abandoned

It could be a heavy deluge of rain, snow, fog, a pitch that freezes… any of these can be a factor in a referee pulling the plug on a tie. The majority of reasons why a match can be abandoned are, typically, out of the control of most involved. There have been instances of crowd trouble or, sadly even in this day and age, racism that have led players to walk from the pitch.

In this instance, there is little that a referee can do to prevent the abandonment. Then there are the reasons we can file under downright bizarre. Floodlight failure is one that occasionally rears its head, and once upon a time this was thought to be at the centre of a betting scandal! A drone was responsible for causing a European Championship qualifier to be abandoned, and so the lesson we have learned in the modern game is to expect the unexpected.

It seems to depend on what you have bet on — and more specifically where — as to what happens next. And then there are other countries, Spain being the most notable, where there is no such thing as an abandoned game. Sudden death play — where the game ends on any score safety, field goal or touchdown — continues until a winner is determined.

If the score is still tied at the end of the overtime period, the result of the game will be recorded as a tie. All other bets will be made void regardless of the scoreline at the time of abandonment. A football match consists of two halves and each half is 45 minutes long.

Between the two halves, there is an interval, which is not more than 15 minutes long. Stoppage time also called injury time is the time added on at the end of each half at the discretion of the referee. Why is football played 45 minutes each half?

Initially, a football match lasted two hours, with two one-hour halves. When the Football Association was formed in the s and the first official rules of football were established, the FA decided to shorten the match to 90 minutes, played in two minute halves. Yet sometimes the safety of those on the pitch also needs to be thought about.

It was a fiery affair that resulted in The Blades ending up with just six men on the pitch, thanks to a combination of sendings-off and injuries. One of the most common reasons for matches to be abandoned, other than inclement weather, is if floodlights fail. Sometimes the match may just be paused as they attempt to fix the lights, but if nothing can be done then the referee will have no choice but to call a halt to proceedings.

The final thing worth mentioning as far as a reason for a match to be abandoned is concerned is the health of those involved. The match referee, Howard Webb, felt that the players were too shook up to continue and abandoned the game.

The game was re-played ten days later.