London Riots Cause Football Postponements

Violence flared in Tottenham on Saturday after the death of Mark Duggan

England v Holland is just one of the many games postponed after riots broke out all over London this week, with future fixtures still at risk of cancellations.

The international friendly, which was due to take place on Wednesday at Wembley, has been called off following three nights of rioting, which began in Tottenham on Saturday.

FA chairman David Bernstein has recently released this statement:“We were unable to host the fixture or guarantee the safety of the fans.”Carling Cup matches at Charlton, West Ham, Crystal Palace and Bristol City have also been postponed as well as Ghana’s friendly with Nigeria at Watford’s Vicarage Road.

West Ham have said that their first round tie against Aldershot has been rescheduled for the evening of Wednesday 24 August.The Hammers said on their website: “The club were told that all major public events in London were to be rearranged because of the need to focus police resources elsewhere.”After this, the Premier League has been in talks with the police regarding this weekend’s opening fixtures in London but no decision has been made as of yet given the unpredictable circumstances.The riots in London have also caused ‘copy-cat’ anti-social behaviour in cities around the country including Bristol where the unrest has caused the local derby between Bristol City and Swindon to be called-off for safety reasons.The Carling Cup games are being re-arranged for later this month and England’s fixture against Holland should be re-scheduled later in the season but the FA have confirmed that ticket holders for Wednesday’s game at Wembley will receive a refund.As the country watches on and the police do their best to reduce any trouble spreading around the country, most weekend fixtures are set to go ahead but fans have been told to check their club’s website regularly in case the situation changes in the coming days.