London weekend games in doubt
August 9, 2011
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By ESPNsoccernet staff
The Premier League and Football League have said they will make a further statement on Thursday over whether more fixtures will be postponed after the rioting in London and other major UK cities.
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Smoke is seen over north London from a view behind the Bobby Moore statue outside Wembley
• England friendly called off
• London Carling Cup games postponed
• Ghana v Nigeria called off
London in particular has been hit hard by the violence which has already seen Carling Cup fixtures postponed and two international friendlies - England v Netherlands at Wembley and Ghana v Nigeria at Watford's Vicarage Road - called off.
With unrest continuing around the country, many expect the opening weekend of the Premier League to be disrupted, but both leagues maintain that they will consider all the options and make a decision within 24 hours.
''The Premier League and Football League are saddened by the recent incidents of civil unrest and the effect it is having on local communities,'' a joint statement read. ''We are in on-going 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.
''The Metropolitan Police has conveyed to us the dynamic nature of the current situation and with that in mind all parties will review the situation on Thursday and make a further public statement at that time.
''With the information currently available to us 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 and will, of course, keep them as up-to-date as possible through club, league and media channels.'
