TheDailySoccerNews.com

English football was in a state of chaos with the Premier League concerned that the rioting in London could now force them to postpone matches on the opening weekend of the season.

After holding discussions with the Government and the Metropolitan Police yesterday morning the Football Association called off the friendly international England were due to play against Holland at Wembley on Wednesday, citing concerns over the safety of the players as well as the 70,000 supporters expected to attend.

But the state of anarchy across the capital, as well as other parts of the country, has forced the Premier League to consult with the police amid concerns that the three games in London on Saturday — at Tottenham, Fulham and QPR — may have to be postponed.

The Football League are also talking to the police about their fixtures and a decision on this weekend’s matches will be made before the end of Thursday.

A joint statement from the Premier League and Football League said: ‘We are in ongoing discussions with our London-based clubs, the Metropolitan Police and statutory authorities in regard to the staging of the coming weekend’s fixtures in the capital.

‘All parties will review the situation on Thursday and make a further public statement at that time. There is no reason to think any matches outside of London will be affected.

‘We are conscious of the need to keep fans informed of any developments.’

Earlier in the day the FA met police and officials from Brent council, quickly concluding that the England game would have to be called off because the police did not have the resources to provide enough officers for the match. That, in turn, meant that the council were not in a position to grant the safety certificate they have to issue for every game at the national stadium.

A certificate probably would have been granted had the FA invited Holland to play the game behind closed doors, but after consulting Fabio Capello that option was rejected. The England manager saw no real value in playing an already friendly game in such a muted atmosphere, preferring instead to hold an intense training session at London Colney before allowing his players to return to their clubs.

In the practice match Tom Cleverley, the Manchester United midfielder hoping to make his international debut, was said to have excelled alongside Scott Parker.

The 70,000 supporters who had purchased tickets will receive a full refund, with costs estimated at between £1million and £2m for the governing body. But FA officials were relaxed about that because they have already agreed with the Dutch FA to play the game at a later date.

It should also help with costs if the Dutch, who were contacted before they boarded their bus to Amsterdam airport, aren’t serious about seeking compensation. They were distancing themselves from comments made earlier in the day but the police were concerned about their safety given their intention to stay in central London.

At the England team hotel in Hertfordshire the FA held a press conference, hosted by FA chairman David Bernstein and Club England managing director Adrian Bevington and attended by Capello and his entire squad.

The players watched footage of the riots over breakfast and it was Rio Ferdinand and England skipper John Terry who then asked the FA if they could attend the press conference where Bevington read out a statement on their behalf. The FA thought it prudent not to put them on the stage to answer questions because it was not necessarily for them to ‘dissect the social debate’.

But both Ferdinand and Rooney pleaded for calm on their Twitter pages, with Ferdinand reaching an audience of 1.35million and Rooney 1.17million.

Their joint statement said: ‘On behalf of the squad, we would like to say we are disappointed that tomorrow’s game has been called off but obviously we understand the reasons behind this decision and support it. We’ve all seen the terrible pictures on the television and the most important thing at this time is the safety of the fans and the general public. At this time, the whole squad would like to appeal for calm and an end to the disorder that has been ongoing.’

Bernstein said: ‘The players and the FA are unified in appealing for an end to the disorder. We all hope that happens very quickly.

‘We have received advice that, due to the sporadic and widespread nature of the unrest, there are significant concerns in relation to the available emergency services to safely police this fixture.

‘In the light of these concerns regarding policing and emergency service provision, the authorities have advised us, that under the terms of our safety certificate, we are unable to host the fixture or guarantee the safety of visiting supporters or the teams.’

On the potential cost to the FA, Bernstein said: ‘The actual costs involved are not great. We are hoping and believe this fixture will be re-arranged, hopefully next year in which case, all in all, the cost shouldn’t be very great.

‘Money is not the issue here. People are losing their businesses and their homes, terrible things are happening.’

Bevington said ‘there are potential slots that could become available’ for a rescheduled game with the Dutch.

On the threat to the safety of players he then said: ‘One of the points made to us was that if there is a continuation of various incidents across the city it makes it more difficult to ensure the safety of our own team and also the Dutch as well.’

Should the players have addressed the media directly? ‘It is true that the players carry great weight in the impression they have on youngsters,’ said Bevington. ‘But it is also a very volatile situation out there at the moment and I don’t think, after reflecting on it in the brief time we’ve had, that it would be fair to put the players in the situation to start dissecting the social debate.

‘The players were also very keen to play their part in supporting the call for calm. But likewise we didn’t all feel that it was the right approach for individuals to lead that. It was a collective effort today and that was important. I can’t recall the players ever being a collective in a press conference like that before. Hopefully that in itself is a powerful message.

‘You have got a lot of players in that squad who come from inner-city backgrounds. They’re from the real world and they have been shocked by what they’ve seen.’