MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Torrential rain before kickoff meant Manchester City's opening Champions League Group C clash with Borussia Moenchengladbach was postponed on Tuesday because of safety concerns. An downpour at 1530GMT was followed by persistently heavy rain, leading referee Bjorn Kuipers and UEFA officials to carry out an inspection of the pitch 50 minutes before the scheduled 1845GMT kickoff at the Etihad Stadium. The pitch appeared to drain well when the rain relented soon afterwards but the game was called off about 20 minutes before it was due to start. City had a friendly with Manchester United in Beijing cancelled in July as a result of heavy rain. "We are disappointed for the fans because 90 percent of them will probably not be able to watch the re-arranged game," said Moenchengladbach midfielder Oscar Wendt.

Source: The Star September 13, 2016 19:30 UTC