England v Holland called off

Last updated : 09 August 2011 By England MAD

The news seemed inevitable with disturbances taking place in places far removed from the area of Tottenham - where the original disquiet arose on Saturday evening.

With the Metropolitan Police unaware of how much further the violence would spread, there was little alternative other than to scrap the contest, for which around 70,000 tickets had been sold.

A brief statement from the FA read: “It is with regret that the international fixture with Holland at Wembley has been called off.”

England defender Rio Ferdinand has given his backing to the decision to call off the game.

The game against the World Cup runners-up is the most high-profile sporting event to be affected so far by the violence which has broken out across the capital.

Three Carling Cup first-round ties scheduled for Tuesday night in London have been postponed and a further match in Bristol - which also witnessed trouble - has also being called off as police in the city concentrate their efforts on preventing any further disorder.

With the Metropolitan Police unaware of how much further the violence would spread, there was little alternative other than to scrap the England match, for which around 70,000 tickets had been sold, and Ferdinand felt the right decision had been made.

He wrote on Twitter: “England vs Holland game is off, good call. Who wants to see a game of football when our country is in turmoil?”

Ferdinand was born in Peckham, one of the areas affected by the violence.