'Incomprehensible': Scotland star's comeback delayed after controversial postponement
Midfielder forced to wait after Serie A refuse to sanction alternative arrangements
Lewis Ferguson’s potential return to action after more than six months on the sidelines will have to wait another few days after Bologna’s Serie A clash with AC Milan this weekend was controversially postponed.
Ferguson has not played for Bologna since suffering an ACL injury on April 28 against Monza, but the Scotland internationalist returned to full training with the squad earlier this week, with Rossoblu manager Vincenzo Italiano weighing up whether to list the 25-year-old among the subs for the clash with AC Milan.
However, the Bologna skipper and his teammates will be idle this weekend after Saturday’s match at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara was called off on Friday evening after torrential rain and flooding made it impossible to stage the match at Bologna’s home ground.
A large proportion of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy has been left under water following extreme rainfall. According to regional sources, more than 175 millimetres of rain fell in one day compared to the historical average of 70 millimetres for the entirety of October.
As a result, the major of Bologna decided on Thursday that the game could not be played at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara - even behind closed doors. The possibility of decamping to Como or Empoli was also explored before Serie A authorities decided to postpone the game to alternative date.
The decision has enraged AC Milan, who were prepared to play Bologna this weekend. Their president Paolo Scaroni described the decision as "incomprehensible", adding: "I don't understand why the mayor banned the match from being played behind closed doors."
The call has been made more controversial given that AC Milan will now be without two key players - Tijjani Reijnders and Theo Hernandez - for their crunch match with high flyers Napoli on Tuesday at the San Siro, as they were due to serve suspensions against Bologna.
Former Aberdeen and Hamilton Accies midfielder Ferguson - capped 12 times by Scotland - will now get further time to recuperate, with Bologna next in action on Tuesday at Cagliari in Sardinia on Tuesday evening. Under new management this season, last season’s Champions League qualifiers have suffered a poor start to the 2024/25 campaign, sitting 12th with nine points and with only one win in their first eight matches.
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