Will Bournemouth vs Luton be replayed and would the match start again from scratch?
BOURNEMOUTH’s clash with Luton Town was abandoned following Tom Lockyer’s terrifying collapse.
The defender suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch during the Premier League fixture.
Referee Simon Hooper abandoned the match after the Welshman was stretchered off.
The game was all tied up at 1-1 when the emergency happened.
Luton Town star Elijah Adebayo stunned fans when he broke the deadlock within the opening three minutes but Dominic Solanke netted the equaliser for the hosts after half-time.
The Hatters have now confirmed that the game will be replayed in full at a later date this season.
A statement read: “The Premier League Board has decided that last Saturday’s fixture with AFC Bournemouth will be replayed in full.
“The game will be rescheduled for later in the season, with a date to be confirmed following consultation with relevant parties.
“The Luton Town ticket office would like to add that ticketing information regarding the rearranged game will be announced in due course.”
The Premier League Board has the power to order a match in which 90 minutes has not been completed to be replayed in full or in part, or allow the result at the time of the abandonment to stand.
WHAT PRECEDENT IS THERE?
Numerous Premier League matches have been abandoned, the most recent in 2006 when Watford vs Wigan was called off on 59 minutes due to a waterlogged pitch.
The match was 1-1 at the time, and restarted at 0-0 before ending 1-1.
The same year, Fulham’s game with Sunderland was called off due to heavy snow in the 21st minute.
The Cottagers were leading 1-0 at the time, but when the match was replayed from scratch, they ending up losing 2-1.
Aside from extreme weather, the only other reason for abandoning Premier League matches has been floodlight failures.
In all cases, matches were played at an alternative date from scratch.