Fans fume at ’embarrassing’ end to EFL clash that’s ‘literally against the rules’ as clubs replicate Simpsons clip
FANS have been left fuming after two League Two sides decided to stop playing in the closing stages of their clash with the score tied at 1-1 .
Crewe players passed the ball around unchallenged while Colchester United were happy to watch on and play out a draw after conceding late on.
ITVColchester United players allowed Crewe to pass it around in the closing stages[/caption]
Fans were up in arms over the non contest
Crewe and Colchester both got the points they required
The U’s led for much of the game and knew anything other than a heavy defeat would see them avoid relegation.
Rivals Sutton drew 4-4 at MK Dons to seal their place in the bottom two, leaving Colchester content to see out the match at 1-1.
Crewe were also happy for the contest to end in a draw after levelling in stoppage time through Elliott Nevitt.
They only needed a point to finish above Crawley so even a Barrow last-gasp winner against Mansfield – which did not come – would not have seen them drop out of the play-off places.
But fans fumed after watching the two sides play out the remaining minutes uncontested.
One reacted saying: “I’ll be cheering every other team except pathetic Crewe in the play-offs then. Should be docked points! Literally against the rules!”
Another added: “Embarrassing.”
A third wrote: “Personally I say relegate Colchester instead of Sutton ”
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And another commented: “I have to say this is poor sportsmanship isn’t it? I get both teams are happy with the result but where’s the integrity in it all?
“And yeah I know I probably would be overjoyed if my team was in the play-offs or safe but if you’re a Sutton United fan seeing this…not great is it.”
Another fan compared the incident to a famous Simpsons clip where football players are shown on TV passing the ball back and forth to one another repeatedly.
Our beautiful game is broken, says Dave Kidd
By Dave Kidd
WHEN Manchester United got lucky in their FA Cup semi-final, Antony’s first instinct was to goad heartbroken opponents Coventry. To rub their noses in the dirt.
Antony seems to be a vile individual but this isn’t really about Antony. Because Antony is merely a symptom of the hideous sickness within England’s top flight.
There is so much wrong.
After our elite clubs persuaded the FA to completely scrap Cup replays — which gave us Ronnie Radford and Ricky Villa and Ryan Giggs — without due recompense or reasoning with the rest of English football.
The previous day, after his Manchester City side had defeated Chelsea in the other FA Cup semi-final, Pep Guardiola whinged about the fixture scheduling of TV companies who effectively pay much of his £20m salary.
Up at Wolves, Guardiola’s friend and rival Mikel Arteta was playing the same sad song about fixture congestion, despite his Arsenal side having played two fewer games this season than Coventry — who don’t have £50m squad players to rotate with.
Chelsea, oh Chelsea. The one-time plaything of a Russian oligarch now owned by financially incontinent venture capitalists who have piddled £1billion on a squad of players who fight like weasels in a sack about who should bask in the personal glory of scoring the penalty that puts them 5-0 up against Everton.
