Plymouth were told that police would be too busy with the other events taking place in the town.

Several supporters are accompanying the Pilgrims on an official club trip.

In addition, many more have booked a visit to the Netherlands to watch the matches.

A Plymouth club spokesman said: “While we understand the mayor’s decision, we are disappointed to have to revise the detail of our visit to Holland at this late stage.

“We are working with officials at FC Emmen, who share our disappointment, to see if an alternative venue or date can be accommodated.

“We will keep supporters appraised of the situation as it develops.”

Where is Emmen?

Emmen is a town in the north east of the Netherlands and has a population of 107,943 people.

The biggest attraction in the town is the Dierenpark Emmen Zoo, which attracts more than 1.5m visitors per year.

FC Emmen were formed as an amateur club in 1925 before turning professional in 1985.

The have reached the play-offs 11 times but have never managed to gain promotion to the top flight.

Cheesed off by FA Cup postponement

The butterfly incident is not the first case of an unusual football postponement, as an FA Cup match in 2015 was rearranged because of cheese.

Frome Town’s FA Cup first qualifying round tie with West Country rivals Chippenham Town was brought forward in September 2015 because it clashed with the Frome Agricultural and Cheese Show.

Ian Pearce, Frome’s secretary and managing director, told BBC Sport at the time: “The cheese show is huge, the biggest event in the town’s calendar.

“A lot of our fans like going to the cheese show, including our chairman, Jeremy Alderman, who is one of the show’s sponsors.”

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