Abandoned Match Between FC London and ECFC To Be Replayed

It’s been just about two months since a League1 Ontario Women’s Premier Division match between FC London and Electric City FC was abandoned at half-time.

When the incident occurred, club and league officials remained mum on what had transpired. The league ran an internal investigation to determine why the scoreless draw at Tricar Field was abandoned, though its findings were not disclosed.

Back then, FC London’s David DeBenedictis alleged that their opponents simply didn’t want to play, though Northern Tribune had received some reports from members of the Electric City FC women’s team stating that, upon their return to the changing room at half-time, an extremely foul odour permeated the scene.

While it’s unclear what ultimately caused the putrid scent, it got to the point where members of the Electric City’s women’s team actually changed outside of the room – though it remains unclear if whatever caused the odour and its impact led the the match’s full abandonment.

Some players said they did find the crowd environment hostile, though it’s unclear if that had any impact on proceedings either.

The League1 Ontario board of directors has decided that the match between FC London and Electric City FC will be replayed in its entirety at a neutral site that is approximately equidistant from the two teams’ home grounds.

This match will take place on Tuesday, July 25 at the Bishop Reding Catholic Secondary School in Milton, behind closed doors.

While the full story on what led to the match’s abandonment still isn’t clear, at least there’s a plan in place to find out the result of the match itself.

Header Image Photo Credit: Martin Bazyl / League1 Ontario