Following league regulation procedures, the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) has announced Sydney FC have been awarded a 2-0 victory over Canberra United after their Ninja A-League fixture was abandoned last week due to lightning and a power outage.
In accordance with the APL’s Lightning Policy, play is suspended when lightning activity is detected within a 10km radius of the match venue. On Wednesday night, lightning strikes were recorded within 500m of Leichhardt Oval shortly after the match was suspended.
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The APL, in following league regulation procedures, has reviewed the circumstances of the abandoned match as well as the submissions of both clubs, and determined that the match will not be rescheduled and the result at the time of the abandonment will stand, with Sydney FC awarded a 2-0 victory.
The determination of whether or not a match will be rescheduled is at the discretion of the league, and in coming to this decision, the APL in the interest of consistency, remains committed to following precedent set from other extreme weather match abandonments across the history of the A-Leagues. There have been three similar examples, where a match was abandoned during the second half of play due to extreme weather, with the match not being rescheduled and the second half score becoming the final result:
- Ninja A-League Women: 2010 – Canberra United vs Adelaide United (Canberra United awarded the three points).
- Isuzu UTE A-League Men: 2015 – Brisbane Roar vs Wellington Phoenix (Wellington Phoenix awarded the three points)
- Isuzu UTE A-League Men: 2021 – Sydney FC vs Perth Glory (Sydney FC awarded the three points)
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As per the league regulations, when APL determines a match is not to be rescheduled and where it has been abandoned at half-time or during the second half, the result at the time of the abandonment will be deemed the final result.
