Newcastle are angry that their friendly in Holland has been scrapped because of fears over violence with Sunderland fans who will be at a match 30 miles away.

The Championship club were due to play FC Utrecht on 26 July but that clashed with their North-East rivals' involvement in the annual Amsterdam Tournament.

Amsterdam's mayor Job Cohen yesterday called for Sunderland to be dropped from the tournament but the Football Association last night backed the Premier League club, whose preparations are more advanced, and instead ordered Newcastle to pull out of their game.

In a statement Newcastle said: "We are disappointed by this decision, especially given that on 30 June, the FA had approved our application to play in Utrecht, following discussions with the Dutch FA, Dutch Police, and our own UK Football Policing Unit. We are in the unenviable position of trying to organise another game in a very short space of time."

The FA said: "Following concerns raised by the mayor of Amsterdam, it became clear that only one of the two teams would be able to travel to Holland."