The match scheduled between defending champion Caversham and contender Roslyn-Wakari in the southern premiership did not start at Tonga Park after markings around one goal at the beach end of the pitch were found to be inadequate.
Referee Calvin Berg had ruled the lining across the goal was not straight and the posts were 15cm back from the goal line.
Football South chief executive Chris Wright, who was called to the ground, said in the end nothing could be done and the game was called off.
''Everyone wanted to play, the refs wanted to play, the coaches and players wanted to play, but unfortunately the way the situation was we just could not play,'' he said.
''It would have been too hard to tell if the ball had gone over the line or not and that is a core part of the game.
''It was disappointing, as this was the defending champion playing one of the main opponents. Unfortunately, we only learned of the issue about 30 minutes before the start of the game.''
He said Football South would be discussing the issue with the Dunedin City Council and its contractors. It was not looking to blame anyone and would work through the issue.
Playing at other pitches at Tonga Park was not an option as they were not adequately marked for a premiership game.
There was no clear solution, so it was decided to postpone the match. The game would be played at a later date, though when was not clear, in a crowded fixtures programme.
Caversham coach Malcolm Fleming was disappointed with the outcome.
''You train for three months, get ready to play and then something like this happens. It is disappointing,'' he said.
''Technically, the ref was right but it was the same for both teams. If he made a ruling in the game then both coaches would have accepted it.''
