SAfrica exhibition vs China canceled due to ash

South Africa's World Cup exhibition against China next week has been called off because of the recent volcanic ash eruptions over Europe.

The match was to be staged in Germany on Wednesday. But the Chinese soccer federation said Saturday it was forced to cancel to ensure its players could play in the domestic league the following day.

The federations says ``it is very difficult for us to travel to Europe at this stage.''

South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira says he was ``really disappointed `` about the cancellation. World Cup host South Africa had already had an exhibition against Estonia called off because of the ash.

The World Cup starts June 11.