Referee decision to restart match branded "distasteful" after football fan dies

04 October 2023 , 16:31

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Fans resorted to sitting on the pitch to ensure that the game was stopped (Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)

Attempts to resume Tuesday night’s League One fixture between Leyton Orient and Lincoln City while a supporter was receiving CPR on the perimeter of the pitch has been labelled distasteful and dangerous by eyewitnesses.

Orient fan Derek Reynolds, 74, passed away despite the best efforts of medics at Brisbane Road, with the East London club saying that they will pay tribute to him at Saturday’s fixture against Reading.

But supporters who witnessed the distressing incident have raised concerns around how it was handled by the match officials and stadium security. Fans who initially sought to make referee Stephen Martin aware of a medical emergency were hauled off by stewards and taken to the police, before a group of 20 fans sat on the pitch to ensure the game was paused.

Last season referees were told not to stop games because of a medical emergency “unless absolutely necessary” and referee Martin will have been following protocol.

But the decision to attempt to restart the match following a break of approximately eight minutes, when the players gathered by the dugouts and an announcement was made over the PA that resources were on the way, has come in for severe criticism by those in attendance.

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EFL sources indicate that at the time the referee was unaware the supporter had been moved from the stand to pitchside to allow medics to continue their work - but once he was informed of that a decision to take the players off the pitch was immediately made.

Derek Reynolds was a lifelong Orient supporter and lived within walking distance from the ground (@leytonorientfc)

Yet fans were again left in the dark as PA announcements said the match was suspended. A decision to abandon was made approximately half an hour later, meaning many remained in the ground while CPR continued.

“They went off at 82 minutes and the clock ticked over to 90 minutes. The modesty curtains were between the pitch and the stand but the referee stll tried to restart,” said Andy Jones, a Lincoln supporter who was in the away end. “He was about to do a drop ball and allowed Lincoln to make a couple of substitutions.

“The only reason it didn’t restart was because the stands erupted into a chant of ‘Take them off.’ It was obvious to anyone with a modicum of common sense that there was someone fighting for their life two yards from the pitch. As well as being distasteful, what would happen if the ball was kicked towards the medics?

“It was bizarre and quite distasteful that they thought the priority was to get the game back on. Why prioritise a game of football over this? It was very sad.”

After several seconds of the ‘Take them off’ chant the referee decided to take the players off the pitch and approximately five minutes later the suspension announcement was made.

Leyton Orient head coach Richie Wellens initially pleaded with fans to leave the pitch (CameraSport via Getty Images)

But Mr Jones added: “The medical attention continued. We gave it 20 minutes after the suspension announcement. We went home, about half the crowd had drifted away, and we found out on the tube home it had been abandoned.”

The EFL will consult with both clubs before deciding whether to play the final minutes of the match or let the result stand. Orient were leading 1-0 at the time.

Alan Smith