London Riots: West Ham, Charlton, Crystal Palace Call off Games, England Next?

UPDATE: The England match against Holland has now officially been called off. Supporters should watch theFA.com for details about ticket refunds in the coming days.

Football teams West Ham United, Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace have announced this morning that they have postponed their Carling Cup matches, and England's friendly against Holland look set to be next.

The three London-based nPower Football League Championship teams were meant to have home matches against Aldershot, Reading, and Crawley Town Tuesday evening, but the rioting in London has led the Metropolitan Police to request that they postpone the games.

While no direct threat to the safety of spectators at the games was cited, the accelerating rioting and violence in the English Capital last night has led the clubs—and the police force—to rightly err on the side of caution, particularly as the manpower to police these games is needed elsewhere.

Supporters with tickets to today's matches will be eligible to use them for the rearranged fixture dates, which have yet to be scheduled. West Ham and Aldershot supporters can see the official announcement here, Charlton and Reading supporters here, and Crystal Palace and Crawley Town supporters here.

As for the men's national team friendly against Holland, the English Football Association are said to be closely monitoring the situation and are in ongoing talks with the Metropolitan Police to see if the match—scheduled to be played on Wednesday in North London's Wembley Stadium—will still go ahead.

Supporters intending to attend Wednesday's match should carefully follow news on the fixture and the London situation, as the game is very likely to be canceled should the police forces—now arriving from around the country—be unable to gain control of the rioting.