By David Williams
Cardiff’s Sky Bet Championship fixture against Watford has been called off amid severe weather warnings linked to Storm Darragh.
The Football Association of Wales issued a statement on Friday afternoon saying all football matches in the country were being postponed on Saturday, following Met Office advice.
A rare red warning for wind, which warns of significant disruption and a “danger to life”, has been issued by forecasters for parts of Wales and the south-west of England.
Due to new advice received from the Met Office, and the recommendations of Cardiff Council and South Wales Police, tomorrow’s match has now been postponed in the interest of supporter safety. ❌
A new date for this fixture will be confirmed in due course.#CityAsOne
— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) December 6, 2024
However, Cardiff were still planning for their EFL match to go ahead even after the FAW statement, and a club spokesman told the PA news agency at 2.30pm that within the previous hour they were being told by the police and local council to proceed as though the game would be on.
However, the club confirmed at 4pm that the match was indeed postponed following “new advice” from the Met Office and recommendations from Cardiff Council and South Wales Police.
The FAW issued a statement on Friday saying that following Met Office advice, all matches had been postponed in the country.
ℹ️ Due to new advice received from the Met Office, and the recommendations of Cardiff Council and South Wales Police, tomorrow’s fixture away at Cardiff City has now been postponed in the interest of supporter safety.
— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) December 6, 2024
However, a spokesperson for Cardiff said they were still continuing with preparations for their match against Watford and told the PA news agency they had been in dialogue with the police and local council on Friday afternoon over the conditions on Friday afternoon.
Newport’s League Two fixture against Carlisle has also been postponed.
Carlisle’s squad were understood to have set off from Cumbria on Friday morning and crossed the border into Wales just before 4pm, but by 4.15pm County had announced the game was off due to fan safety concerns.
Plymouth’s match at home to Oxford in the Championship is also off after the local Safety Advisory Group “strongly recommended” a postponement.
The Welsh Rugby Union has called off all community matches in the country, across all age groups.
Following advice from The Met Office around Storm Darragh, which is set to affect large parts of the country, @WelshRugbyUnion has postponed all community rugby fixtures across all ages scheduled for Saturday 7th December.
Including all @SuperRygbiCymru Round 10 fixtures,… pic.twitter.com/jpJWbxgvnv
— Welsh Rugby Union (@WelshRugbyUnion) December 6, 2024
Clubs are advised to only proceed with matches on Friday and Sunday “should they feel it is safe to do so”, the WRU said.
Merseyside Police have advised against any non-essential travel in the region on Saturday, with an amber weather warning in place.
Liverpool and Everton are set to meet in the Premier League’s lunchtime kick-off, and the clubs issued a joint statement advising supporters to allow extra time for travel and to remain alert to Met Office weather warnings.
