Portsmouth Middlesbrough Championship Match Postponed Kick-Off Due to Emergency Situations in the Spectator
Jan 19, 2025
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The English Championship (second division) match was suspended just seconds after kick-off.
This is because there was an emergency medical situation in the stands. The game was temporarily suspended to transport the spectators in a sudden emergency to the hospital, and it was held again after a 30-minute delay.
British media Daily Star said on the 19th (Korea time) that the match between Portsmouth and Middlesbrough in the Championship was temporarily suspended, and the players left the ground. Because of the emergency medical situation in the stands, it was reported.
Portsmouth and Middlesbrough were scheduled to play a championship match for the 2024-2025 season at Praton Park in Portsmouth, England, at midnight on the 19th. At the originally scheduled time, referee Gavin Ward blew the kickoff whistle.
However, just a few seconds later, the game was suspended. This is because one spectator was in a situation where emergency medical care was needed. The home team Portsmouth club announced on its official social media that the kick-off has been postponed due to an emergency situation in the audience. Sky Sports reporter James Sabundra, who was on the scene for a live broadcast, said "There was a really concerning scene. Seconds after the referee blew the kickoff whistle, an emergency broke out among the crowd near the halfway line, and the whistle went off again."
Middlesbrough also said on social media that the start of the game was delayed due to an emergency medical situation in the home stands. Eventually, the spectator was rushed to the hospital due to the referee's agile response. Fortunately, no further mishaps took place.
In the end, the game resumed 30 minutes later than originally scheduled. In this match, the home team Portsmouth came from behind to win 2-1. Middlesbrough Emmanuel Latteras scored the first goal in the 40th minute to take a 1-0 lead. However, Portsmouth veteran winger Matt Ritchie scored consecutive equalizers and come-from-behind goals in the 9th and 37th minutes of the second half, presenting the victory to the home crowd, who experienced a dizzying situation from the start of the game.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
