The EFL has released a further statement regarding the abandoned game between the Blues and Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Saturday with the EFL board set to meet before the end of the week to make their decision.
The statement reads: "Following the abandonment of the Sky Bet Championship fixture between Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town, the two clubs were given a deadline of 4pm today to make any final representations to the League.
"Once in receipt of the submissions, the matter will be discussion by the EFL board before the end of this week, with the outcome to be confirmed shortly thereafter.”
The match was curtailed in the 80th minute as the torrential rain which had persisted throughout the game had made the surface unplayable.
At the time, Rovers were 1-0 in front via a Todd Cantwell penalty, while Town were down to 10 men following Jacob Greaves’s red card, an incident in which the conditions played a significant role.
An EFL statement following the game read: "[Saturday]’s Sky Bet Championship fixture between Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town was abandoned due to an unplayable surface. The decision was taken in agreement with both managers.
"The board will consider what action is to be taken as a result of the abandonment, in line with EFL regulations.”
EFL regulation 34.2 indicates that any league match which from any cause falls short of 90 minutes’ duration may be ordered to count as a completed fixture or be replayed in full or in part on whatever terms and conditions the board shall in their absolute discretion determine.
A full restaging of the match seems the most likely option given that FA rule 20(E)(iii) states: "In the event of a competition match not being played or abandoned owing to causes over which neither club has control, it should be played in its entirety on a date to be mutually agreed by the two clubs and approved by the competition.”
There has been some disquiet among Town fans that one of the EFL board members who could decide the outcome is Norwich City executive director Zoe Webber. Whether she will recuse herself from the process given the obvious conflict of interest is not known.
The other members of the board are chair Rick Parry, chief executive Trevor Birch, Peter Risdale (Preston), Neil Bausor (Middlesbrough), Liam Scully (Lincoln), Julian Tagg (Exeter), Charles Grant (Crewe) and non-executive directors Caroline Artis and Justine Roberts.