England friendly called off

The Football Association have confirmed that England's friendly against Holland at Wembley has been called off following a third night of violence in London overnight.

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 tomorrow's international fixture with Holland at Wembley has been called off."

The move to cancel an England international is unprecedented in recent times, but supporters will welcome the early decision, as will the Dutch side who were due to fly out of Amsterdam on Tuesday morning.

"The police in London could not guarantee the safety of our players and our supporters," said Bert van Oostveen, chief executive of the Dutch federation the KNVB.

He told Voetbal International: "The (commercial) damage runs into millions. I'm hoping for an elegant solution with the English FA."

Bristol City's Carling Cup tie with Swindon at Ashton Gate has also been postponed following trouble in the city overnight.

City chairman Colin Sexstone told the club's official website: "It's disappointing but we totally understand the reasons given by the police. Clearly the most important factor is people's safety and these are exceptional circumstances the police are dealing with."

Carling Cup ties at West Ham, Charlton, Crystal Palace and Bristol City have already been called off.