Foreign
Heavy rain forces postponement of Rotherham vs Cardiff match
Game suspended in the second half
Rotherham United’s Championship match against Cardiff City has been postponed after a downpour caused a waterlogged pitch. Rotherham have released a statement, which read: “Rotherham United’s game with Cardiff City has been postponed following a torrential downpour of rain which left the field of play waterlogged in the 48th minute.” Referee Oliver Langford suspended play a few minutes after the restart after half-time with Cardiff leading 1-0 through Jaden Philogene.
Officials and groundstaff try to clear pitch
PGMOL chief Howard Webb was also in attendance at the AESSEAL New York Stadium and was one of a number of officials, along with United manager Matt Taylor and Cardiff’s Sabri Lamouchi to take to the pitch to test the surface. Groundstaff tried to clear water from the touchline and corner flags at The Mears Stand end, in front of the travelling fans.
Decision made to postpone fixture
After a further pitch inspection at 16.45 GMT, however, a decision was made to postpone the fixture. EFL regulations state that any matches that are abandoned can either be counted as a completed fixture or replayed and that a decision is at the discretion of the league’s board. Section 34.2 of the EFL handbook 2023-3 outlines the rules governing abandoned matches, stating that they can be replayed in full or in part at the discretion of the board.
Relegation battle continues
Both Rotherham and Cardiff are locked in a relegation battle with just four two points between the two sides in 20th and 21st respectively before kick off. The gap to Blackpool in 22nd was four points at kick off.
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Credit: https://theathletic.com/4322882/2023/03/18/rotherham-cardiff-suspended-rain/
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