Blackburn boss risks FA charge as controversial Ipswich replay sparks more feelings of injustice

Blackburn were denied victory over Ipswich by a dramatic late equaliser, over two months after first missing out on three points.

A 94th-minute equaliser from Sindre Walle Egeli was enough to earn the Tractor Boys a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park on Tuesday night, in a replay of the two sides’ abandoned match in September.

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And Blackburn manager Valerien Ismael, who had called the decision to replay the game ‘disgraceful’, was left outraged once again.

Moments before half-time, Azor Matusiwa was only shown a yellow for bringing down Ryoya Morishita when the Japanese forward was through on goal.

Ismael also said Rovers should have had a penalty when Yuki Ohashi went down before the break.

Then in the closing stages, Ipswich were given a controversial goal-kick before Egeli levelled.

Speaking afterwards, Ismael risked an FA charge when he said: “Enough is enough. We can put a list for all the decisions against us this season.

“The (decision not to give a) red card is a disgrace, it’s terrible. I can’t accept that. It’s a penalty on Yuki. The last situation is a corner for us again. The standard from the referee(s) in the Championship is terrible.

“The teams fighting to get promoted invest a lot of money to keep a very nice Championship, to play football, and every game every three days it’s always the same with the decisions, the standard is really, really poor and it’s unacceptable when I see the list of decision-making against us.

“At some point it can happen, one or two decisions I didn’t say anything. But now the red card is obvious. Maybe it’s because it’s…a former Premier League club, he wanted to help them, because nobody can understand.”

Why was Blackburn and Ipswich replayed?

Fans will recall that this Championship encounter was first held on September 20, where Rovers found themselves leading 1-0 in the 80th minute thanks to Todd Cantwell’s penalty.

They also had a one player more than their opponents, with Ipswich’s Jacob Greaves being sent off on 49 minutes.

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But controversy struck when referee Stephen Martin brought the game to a halt with 10 minutes of normal time remaining.

This was due to the playing surface becoming increasingly waterlogged due to heavy rain, and after the Ewood Park pitch was unable to drain, Martin was forced to end the game early.

The decision sparked huge controversy, and Rovers fans were left feeling incensed when the EFL announced the fixture would be replayed in full.

Rovers denied again

With the rescheduled fixture finally taking place on Wednesday night, Blackburn’s players were no doubt spurred on by injustice.

And they looked to have finally overcome their opponents when Andri Gudjohnsen put them in front in the 76th minute.

But there was further pain in store for Ismael’s side, as Egeli slotted in an equaliser with practically the last kick of the game to once again deny the home side three points.

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Blackburn fury

At the time of the EFL’s decision to replay the game, Blackburn expressed their ‘extreme disappointment’ that provisions were not made for their unique situation.

A club statement read: “Whilst Blackburn Rovers respects the processes undertaken by the EFL and acknowledges the complexities involved, the club is extremely disappointed by the outcome, which fails to take into account the significant advantages Rovers held at the time of abandonment.

“Blackburn Rovers is committed to upholding the integrity of the competition, however we strongly feel that the decision to replay the entire fixture does not accurately reflect the circumstances on the day.

“The club is now seeking further clarity from the EFL and will consider all options, including the right to appeal the decision, and will make no further comment on the matter at this stage.”