FA hit Blackpool with fine

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The Sky Bet Championship fixture was abandoned after 48 minutes after Blackpool fans stormed the pitch and staged a sit-down protest in the centre circle at Bloomfield Road.

At a meeting in London on Thursday, the Board of Directors of the Football League took the view that the 0-0 scoreline that stood at the time of the game’s abandonment should be officially recorded as the final result of the match.

The governing body came to the decision as it believes that league points should always be earned on the field of play.

In making its judgment the Football Disciplinary Committee will be asked to consider any matters relating to compensation to Huddersfield Town and ticket refunds to supporters.

The Board also asked its executive to review the League’s regulations regarding abandonments to ensure that any such matches can always be played to a conclusion or replayed altogether if deemed necessary.

A Football League statement read: “Any club failing to fulfil its fixture obligations in respect of any Match under the jurisdiction of the league on the appointed date, or dates, or causing the Board to suspend any fixture, shall be deemed guilty of misconduct, unless the circumstances giving rise to such failure are outside the control of the club and could not have been reasonably foreseen or reasonably anticipated and remedied prior to the match.”

The ruling means that Huddersfield finish the season in 16th with 55 points while Blackpool register 26, the joint lowest points tally since the second tier was expanded to 24 teams in 1988.

Their charge will be heard by a disciplinary commission while Blackpool could face further sanctions from the Football Association for failing to control the crowd.