EFL announce outcome following investigation into abandoned Rotherham vs Cardiff City game | OneFootball

Rotherham United’s home game against Cardiff City will be played again from the start on April 25 after it was controversially abandoned earlier this month.

Why were Cardiff City unhappy?

A remarkable downpour of rain in South Yorkshire meant the playing surface was deemed unplayable by referee Oliver Langford, with the game called off in the 48th minute. Sabri Lamouchi’s side had been winning 1-0 at the time thanks to a goal from Jaden Philogene, and with both sides battling relegation towards the bottom of the table, it was a hugely important clash.

The Welsh side were also unhappy with the hosts, as clips shared online prompted questions whether the grounds staff were doing enough to clear the pitch, whilst the sprinklers were also mistakenly turned on at half-time despite the weather.

That prompted an EFL investigation into what had exactly gone on, with the authorities having the power to award Cardiff the points, or to restart from when the game was stopped, if they so wished.

However, standard practice in English football is to replay the game from the start, and that’s what’s happened here, as the Millers announced the update on their official site this evening.

Cardiff will head to the New York Stadium in late April, with the game still sure to have a big bearing on the relegation scrap. The Bluebirds are three points above the drop zone, with this game in hand, and Rotherham are just a point and a place above them in the standings.

The clubs will play six games before this rearranged fixture takes place, with Cardiff hosting rivals Swansea this weekend, and Rotherham make the trip to Hull.

The verdict

Firstly, it should be said that the referee didn’t do much wrong here, as images from the game show that the ball did not roll or bounce properly after that downpour. Of course, the actions of Rotherham were rightly questioned, but the EFL were always likely to order that the game be restarted.

It’s hugely frustrating for Cardiff, and you can understand why they were annoyed with what went on, but they will just need to use that as motivation for when the game comes around again.

There’s a lot of football to be played in the meantime though, and this fixture could potentially become a massive one with the new date, as both sides are likely to still be firmly in a fight to stay in the Championship.