Italian club Catania have cancelled a pre-season jaunt to Japan amid fears than an earthquake had caused radiation leaks. The tour was scrapped because an earthquake in the northwestern city of Kashiwazaki is reported to have caused radioactive leaks from a large power station in the area.
The quake, which struck on July 16, measured 6.8 on the Richter scale. Officials at the Sicilian club decided that, no matter how much they wanted to play their three J-League opponents, a bout of radiation poisoning was not what the players needed to get the season underway! The Serie A outfit were due to face JEF United Ichihara Chiba, Yokohama FC and Jubilo Iwata. [Via Guardian]