England Game Off After Riots
England’s friendly with the Netherlands at Wembley on Wednesday evening has been called off following a third night of rioting on the streets of London.
The Football Association met with police on Tuesday to decide the fate of the game, with several Carling Cup matches already postponed and confirmed the decision on its website.
Matches at Charlton, West Ham and Crystal Palce have all been postponed, while other events remain in doubt.
A West Ham statement said: ‘Major public events in London are to be rearranged because of the need to focus police resources elsewhere’.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman added: ‘Every football match in London is subject to assessment around police resources’.
The managing director of Club England, Adrian Bevington, stated that he was heading to Wembley Stadium early on Tuesday to discuss the matter.
Violence broke out on Monday for a third consecutive day with riot police deployed and firefighters tackling blazes across the capital – following disturbances in Tottenham on Saturday evening and Enfield on Sunday night.
Charlton v Reading, West Ham v Aldershot and Crystal Palace v Crawley Town will all be played at a later date.
