City-Gladbach rescheduled for Wednesday after torrential rain

Despite the UK being in the midst of a September heatwave, forebodingly dark skies opened into a torrential downpour after 6pm BST in Manchester.

Standing water on the playing surface made a pitch inspection led by referee Bjorn Kuipers something of a fruitless exercise at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

The Champions League match between Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach has been called off due to adverse weather conditions at the Etihad Stadium.

Despite the UK being in the midst of a September heatwave, forebodingly dark skies opened into a torrential downpour after 6pm BST in Manchester.

Standing water on the playing surface made a pitch inspection led by referee Bjorn Kuipers something of a fruitless exercise – the sight of the Dutch official struggling to make a ball travel more than a few yards was enjoyed by the travelling Gladbach supporters but made the prospect of competitive football appear incredibly unlikely.

So it proved, as 20 minutes before the scheduled 7.45pm kick-off, Manchester City confirmed the postponement in a tweet, although health and safety concerns relating to the areas surrounding the ground are cited as the reason for the postponement, as opposed to the state of the playing surface.

The decision was made by City's safety inspection group in conjunction with UEFA officials and the two clubs.

A statement from City read: "Torrential rainfall across Manchester throughout the evening led to flooding in the areas around the ground, which forced the decision on safety and security grounds.

"The game will now be rescheduled and the club will announce a new date in due course."

Manchester's Metrolink tram service, one of the major commuter routes to the Etihad Stadium, had been suspended due to the weather as flash flooding hit the city centre.

There has been no official announcement on when the match will be rescheduled, although article 26.03 of the UEFA competition regulations suggests a decision will be forthcoming this evening.

The regulations state: "If the match cannot commence for whatever reason (e.g. condition of the field of play), it must be played either the next day or on a reserve date or other date set by the UEFA administration. A decision must be taken within two hours of the decision to cancel the match, in consultation with the two clubs and the associations concerned. In case of dispute, the UEFA administration fixes the date and kick-off time of the match. Its decision is final."

In 2013, Juventus and Galatasaray resumed their Champions League Group B game on a Wednesday afternoon with 32 minutes on the clock after snowfall caused an abandonment the previous evening.