Letter to ESPZEN for review of Match Abandonement

Dear person-in-charge,

I am Gianfranco Zola, writing on behalf of my team, TeamCuzz FC, on our match abandonement that we experienced in our last match with Blue Oysters at Orchid Park Secondary yesterday, 14 March 2009. The scoreline at that particular time was 2-1 in our favour. The match was called off by the referee, Mr Ryan Tay, at around 1640 hrs due to bad weather.The second half had not kicked off yet at that time.

There is no contesting the decision abandoning due to bad weather, but we feel that much could have been done to alter the game's outcome. If the game had not been delayed for several reasons (to be mentioned later), the second half could have been played since the bad weather became apparent only after 1630hrs. That said, we could have started the second half of the match, and the scoreline would have stood. Hence, we feel harshly done by, and would like to ask you to review this.

We understand that under the league rules, RD4 clearly states that " If the game is stopped (by both Team Managers or the referee) due to (but not limited to) bad weather (eg lightening, heavy rain etc) or any other reason including player fighting, referee being threatened etc, and the second half has kicked off the result will stand. However the whole game will be replayed at a later date, if the second half did not begin unless the ESPZEN League Committee determines otherwise, or both Team Managers determine otherwise." Hence, under normal circumstances, a new match will be scheduled for us, and that the abandoned game and its score will be considered redundant. We are aware too that under RD5 of the rules, we will be charged SGD 100 instead of the usual match fees. However, we do not think that our situation could be based on the above rule.

We feel agrieved that the situation became as such due to factors not within our control. Firstly, the game kicked off more than 20 minutes late as the referee was not present till then. The referee admitted this to me when I asked him personally. This is absurd since both teams were already geared up in numbers even before the stipulated kick off time of 1500hrs. Both team were seen doing their routine warm-up and kicking the ball around for a long while. My team, in particular, was present at the pitch area as early as 1420hrs. This is clearly conforming to your recommendation of arriving 20 minutes ahead of kickoff.

If the game had started as scheduled at 1500hrs, and assuming each half is played over 40 minutes with a 12 minute interval (Rule ABC1), that would mean that we would have covered almost the entire game by 1630hrs. We understand that the referee is human after all and could arrive late for various reasons, but this was a huge factor that caused the game to be affected significantly. Thus, we feel that the scoreline should have stood since the 2nd half would have started if the game had started earlier.

Another issue that we feel agrieved by was the length of the half-time interval. Just before the referee blew for half-time, there was a minor scuffle between some players. As the referee blew the whistle, our players walked off the pitch accordingly. However, the opponents were seen confronting the referee. This continued for awhile and stretched on to the extent that the interval was delayed. Soon enough, it was too late as the weather became worse.

In addition to the above, as the referee blew for the game to restart, our team entered the pitch to start the game. However, half of the opposing team were already in the shelter, seeming as if they do not want to play. This was informed to me by the refree, who said that only half of the opponents wanted to play, while the rest did not want to. On the surface of it, it seem like they were just waiting for the weather to get so bad that the match would not be able to start at all. This clearly caused a delay too. As such, we feel that the opponents were "playing their cards", knowing that the game would be replayed if the second half did not start. Once again, we feel that this is not fair to us.

I wish to stress again that we did not contest the decision to abandon the game as it was for our everyone's safety after all. To be fair to the referee, he did handle the situation pretty well, taking sometime to assess the situation before finally making his decision to call it off. We just felt that the second half could have started way earlier if not for the reasons quoted above. Crucially, we had no part to play in this late kickoff whatsoever.

As such, we would sincerely request you to review this accordingly and not take it on the surface as stated under the league rules and regulations. Having had 3 points and 4 goals (earned fairly) chalked off from us due to the withdrawal of Dynamo a couple of weeks back, we feel that it is time justice is served for us.

You can reach me at 91446203 if you need any verification of what is stated above. I will be looking forward to your reply/ decision soon.


Regards,

voice of TeamCuzz FC

Note for all TeamCuzz:

1) I obviously I didnt sign off as that luh.
2) I "bcc" some of you in my email to them. Just in case they require more than one verification.
3) Since 2nd half didnt start, status quo would mean a replay with the score being reset, & the match priced at $100. Please set ur mind as such. The appeal that I wrote above shall be considered as bonus if it is successful.
4) If there is a replay, let's thrash this team who as nothing but confused with colours (think unmatching name and jersey colour). We'll thrash them so bad so they realize that Chelsea are not the Oranjes and The Netherlands aren't called the Blues either.
5) For those who came and did not play (Md, Khairil, Luqman, Syafiq), we salute your commitment. In fact, such commitment should be shown by all. So if you are injured but free, we will definitely appreciate your attendance.
6) If there are last minute call-ups, please inform me in advance. I need to register the players. Any illegal players could result in unwanted points deduction.
7) I have changed our blog address in the official espzen website to the old one. Hopefully, it'll deceive any spies into thinking that we are forever forming a new committee. As such, we can confidently share anything we want here.