Premier League Blackburn Rovers have postponed their pre-season friendly in India, claiming that the country is "too dirty".
Rovers, owned by Indian poultry firm Venky's, were due to appear in Pune and become the first Premier League team to play in India, but will now stay at home in the relative comfort of Lancashire, despite its cobbled streets and open sewers.
"The trip is not cancelled, it is postponed to another date because of the squalor there," said Blackburn manager Steve Kean.
"That trip will now take place as soon as they clean the place up a bit."
It had been suggested some of the Blackburn players did not want to go on the trip due to the unhygienic conditions that are found everywhere you look in India.
"The board had a meeting with the owners and decided that, because of the inhospitable state of the place, and the risk of one of our players catching some uncurable disease and dying, it is not in the interest of Blackburn Rovers to go to India. In any case, most of the team had sent in sick notes in advance," added Kean.
