Juventus vs Galatasaray game postponed due to snow

Arturo Vidal of Juventus (L) runs for the ball past Selcuk Inan of Galatasaray (bottom) during their Champions League soccer match in Istanbul December 10, 2013. The match has been postponed due adverse weather conditions and the state of the pitch. [Photo/Agencies]

ISTANBUL - The Champions League match between Galatasaray and Juventus was abandoned due to poor weather on Tuesday with the remaining 59 minutes to be played on Wednesday.

Play was halted in the 31st minute with the score at 0-0 as hail and snow began to fall heavily in Istanbul.

Both teams went back to the dressing room as groundsmen tried to clear the lines.

Half an hour later it was decided to postpone the Group B match after ``both captains and the referee agreed that the pitch had become dangerous'' according to a statement by European football's governing body UEFA.

After a meeting with both teams, UEFA said the match will recommence at 2 p.m. local time (1200 GMT) Wednesday.

Turkish have sought to have the match put back an hour to better guarantee safety and further talks are scheduled for Wednesday at 9 a.m. (0700 GMT).

Juventus needs a point to qualify for the knockout stage while Galatasaray must win to progress.

It is the third time a Champions League match between Juventus and Galatasaray has been postponed. In 1998 the match was delayed because of anti-Italian sentiment in Turkey over Italy's refusal to extradite Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan. It was played a week later in Istanbul.

The match between the two in 2003 was also postponed after terrorist attacks in Istanbul, and was played a week later in Dortmund, Germany.

Juventus's group match against Bayer Leverkusen in 2001 was postponed twice before eventually going ahead _ with the Italian team winning 4-0.