AFC has not explained why the final was not postponed due to heavy snowfall
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) officials have not given any explanation for the decision to still let the final match of the AFC U-23 Championship between Vietnam and Uzbekistan take place in heavy snow conditions at the Changzhou Olympic Stadium.
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| Players covered in snow during the US win over Costa Rica. Photo: Forthewin |
However, in the past, world football history has recorded many other matches that were also covered in snow. The most famous for the thickness of snow in the framework of national football matches is probably the match in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers between the US and Costa Rica in March 2013 in Colorado (USA).
Despite the hosts’ efforts to shovel snow, the pitch was completely covered in white when the match began. The US won 1-0 and Costa Rica filed a request to annul the match, claiming that the snow had severely affected the team’s play. FIFA later rejected the request and allowed the score to stand.
The debate over playing in snow has been a constant throughout football history. Many matches have been abandoned, but only when the pitch was covered in 5-6cm of snow before the match. There are hardly any clear regulations from FIFA on abandoning matches due to weather. In FIFA’s regulations on match safety and security, there are only general provisions on abandoning matches when “the weather is so severe that it poses a danger to the players”.
Former English referee Mike Riley - currently running the Premier League's Match Officials Committee - has shared his experience with cancelling matches due to snow. The two main reasons for cancelling matches given by Mr. Riley are: 1. Dangerous enough for players; 2. Spectators have no visibility.
In December 2017, a series of clubs in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland simultaneously called on the organizers of their tournaments to cancel matches due to heavy snow. Northern Ireland's Halesowen Town said their football pitch was covered in up to 3 inches of snow and the stadium management was completely helpless to clear the snow. It was only at this point that the organizers decided to postpone many matches.
But Premier League games are rarely cancelled, despite heavy snowfalls, thanks to the fact that top-flight clubs have state-of-the-art stadiums with under-surface heating systems.
