The violence that has gripped parts of England this week started last Saturday in the Tottenham area of London, not far from the club's White Hart Lane ground, with a protest over the police shooting of a suspect two days earlier.
The protest escalated to riots with hooded youths taking to the streets, vandalising and looting shops and setting fire to cars and buildings, in acts that soon spread to other cities across the country.
"Following ongoing discussions with the necessary authorities... it has now been confirmed that this fixture will be postponed due to safety concerns relating to infrastructure of the High Road and access to the stadium caused by last Saturday's riots," Spurs said on their website.
The Premier League said later that the rest of the weekend's top-flight fixtures, which include champions Manchester United travelling to West Bromwich Albion, "are expected to go ahead as planned," an announcement likely to delight fans and players.
Asked whether the riots were a concern for test events or the host city's image ahead of the Games, International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesman Mark Adams replied: "Not at all.
"This situation doesn't arise at any of our sites and we remain confident in the ability of the competent authorities to maintain security."
"Sometimes there is no choice in these situations... sometimes bigger issues prevail," Football Association chairman David Bernstein told Sky Sports News. "We totally support the decision the [the police] have to make."
"Football does have a major role to play, it's an industry with great influence, the players and the managers are major role models in society," he said.
"All players here today and across the Premier League have called for calm on the streets of London and we hope that we get that," he said.
League Cup matches had already been called off this week but Tottenham's was the highest profile fixture to be affected.
"It all pales into insignificance when you think of the issues people have had to face in their daily jobs and their daily lives," he said.
Everton midfielder Tim Cahill supported the decision, writing on Twitter: "It's more important that the people are safe as much as we all love footy."
