English Premier League chiefs will decide on Thursday whether the
opening round of fixtures will go ahead as British cities grapple with
widespread rioting, a statement said.
Although relative calm
returned to London’s streets on Tuesday night, outbreaks of violence in
Birmingham and Manchester have raised fresh question marks against this
weekend’s Premier League kick-off.
Both the Premier League and
Football League are to meet on Thursday to decide whether games in
London this weekend will go ahead.
“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 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.
“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.”
England’s friendly against Holland,
due to take place at Wembley on Wednesday, was scrapped along with an
international between Ghana and Nigeria at Watford on Tuesday.
Several League Cup matches involving London clubs on Tuesday were also postponed.
