N. Ireland-Russia qualifier rescheduled to August

PARIS (AFP) –

Snow covers Windsor Park pitch and stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on March 22, 2013 as the 2014 World Cup qualifier between Russia and Northern Ireland was postponed due to the weather. The game will now be played on August 14, FIFA announced on Friday.

Northern Ireland’s World Cup qualifier with Russia — postponed last month because of bad weather in Belfast — will now be played on August 14, FIFA announced on Friday.

The date of the rescheduled fixture was agreed after a meeting between representatives of both countries’ football associations in Zurich this week, the world federation said on fifa.com.

The kick-off time will be announced at a later stage, FIFA added.

The original match at Windsor Park had been due to take place on March 22 but the pitch was deemed unplayable despite efforts to clear heavy snow.

Officials put back the tie for 24 hours but it was called off again due to ice on the pitch.

Fabio Capello’s Russia top Group F and have a 100 percent record with four wins out of four.

Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland, who last qualified for the World Cup finals in Mexico in 1986, are fourth in the six-team group with just three points from their opening five matches so far.