West Brom friendly cancelled over violence concerns

Garlick: It is a truly disappointing end to what had been some excellent preparation for us but the situation is out of our hands and we are working now to get the squad home as quickly as possible.

West Brom are scheduled to face Plymouth Argyle and Torquay United in their final pre-season fixtures.

West Brom's pre-season friendly fixture against PSV has been cancelled after local authorities warned over the threat of violence. Premier League side West Brom were set to play in Arnhem as part of the Fox Sports Cup, being hosted by Eredivisie's Vitesse. However, Dutch police warned that some PSV supporters, who posed a threat of violence, were planning to travel to the game.

The decision was made to call off the fixture, with West Brom returning to England immediately. "We naturally share the disappointment of our supporters who have travelled to Arnhem that the game has been cancelled," said Richard Garlick, West Brom's director of football administration.

"I should point out that following the disturbances at this summer's European Championships, the Club took the precaution of consulting with our police intelligence officers to establish whether or not there might be something to concern us at this tournament. "Nothing untoward was flagged up following those enquiries. It is a truly disappointing end to what had been some excellent preparation for us but the situation is out of our hands and we are working now to get the squad home as quickly as possible."

West Brom are scheduled to face Plymouth Argyle and Torquay United in their final pre-season fixtures before they kick off their 2016-17 Premier League campaign away to Crystal Palace on August 13.