Charlton Athletic’s home game against Portsmouth at The Valley was abandoned on Tuesday night after a medical emergency in the stands involving a Charlton fan, who later died.
According to BBC Sport, play was stopped in the 12th minute when supporters in the lower tier of the Covered End raised the alarm and medics rushed into the crowd.
Players initially remained on the pitch as emergency personnel treated the supporter before referee Matthew Donohue instructed both teams to return to the dressing rooms.
The match, goalless at the time, was officially called off nearly an hour after the incident.
Charlton later issued a statement confirming the abandonment and thanking fans for their cooperation during the delay.
“Due to a medical emergency in the crowd, today’s match has been abandoned,” the club said, adding:
“Everyone at the club sends their best wishes to the supporter affected and thank our medical team and first responders.”
Portsmouth also sent a message of support, saying their “thoughts and best wishes are with the individual involved and their family”.
Pompey chief executive Andrew Cullen told BBC Radio Solent that the incident had deeply affected everyone at the ground.
“These situations are not great for people who come to watch their team play football. Our hearts go out to the individual,” he said, adding that their sympathies were also with the fan’s relatives and “those supporters who were around it”.
Cullen noted that Portsmouth had experienced a similar medical emergency at Fratton Park earlier in the year and said the club understood “what that means” for fans and families caught up in such events.
“We must pay our respects to everybody who has been affected by the incident and our thoughts are very much with them,” he said.
The English Football League is expected to confirm in due course when the fixture will be replayed.
For now, both clubs are focused on supporting those close to the Charlton fan and any witnesses who were traumatised by what unfolded in the stands.
