A women's university football match in China had to be called off after players were told they were not allowed to have dyed hair, state media report.

The women's teams of Fuzhou and Jimei universities were due to meet for a college league game in the south-eastern Fujian province at the weekend.

Team members from both sides bought black hair dye to correct the problem.

But one Fuzhou player's hair was deemed "not black enough" and the side had to forfeit for having only six players.

Before the match, "multiple players… were rejected from the match for violating a rule which requires that all players do not dye or curl their hair", the national Global Times reports.