Big Kick-off Under Threat

Posted Wednesday, August 10, 2011 by Dailystar.co.uk

Big Kick-off Under Threat
Above: Spurs stars Younes Kaboul and Rafael van der Vaart called for the match to be postponed last night

PREMIER LEAGUE chiefs will hold an emergency summit tomorrow to decide whether Saturday’s football programme can go ahead.

Riots in London and unrest around the rest of the country have seen four of last night’s Carling Cup matches called off, with tonight’s England game against Holland and the Ghana v Nigeria friendly at Watford also postponed.

Saturday’s schedule is also in the balance, with Premier League matches at Tottenham, Fulham and QPR under threat as the Met police struggles to cope with events in the capital.

A statement from the Premier and Football Leagues said: "The Premier League and Football League are saddened by the recent incidents of civil unrest and the effect it is having on local communities.

“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.

“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.”

Tottenham insist their match with Everton will go ahead despite some roads around the ground remaining shut.

But Spurs stars Younes Kaboul and Rafael van der Vaart both called for the match to be postponed last night.

French defender Kaboul said: “The riots are spreading across London, and they look like they’re getting pretty serious.

“If it is too dangerous it would be preferable to cancel the match for the sake of the fans’ safety.” Dutch midfielder Van der Vaart was set to face England at Wembley tonight until the match was called off over safety fears.

He said: “I ask myself whether the league matches at the weekend will be able to go ahead. Right now I can’t imagine it.

“With things as they are there is no way to organise a big international match safely.”