After a meeting on Friday morning, it was decided to postpone all Premier League games this weekend. Previously, the Tour of Britain was prematurely stopped after the death of Queen Elizabeth. In the meantime, a mourning period has been announced until seven days after the funeral, so that no sports competitions may be played during that period.
It has been coming for a while, but it is now also official: there are no Premier League games this weekend out of respect for the death of the Queen. “In honor of her extraordinary life and contribution to the nation, and as a mark of respect, this weekend’s Premier League games will be postponed, including Monday night’s game,” the statement said.
Richard Masters, Premier League Chief Executive, said: “We and our clubs wish to pay tribute to Her Majesty’s long and unwavering service to our country. As our longest-serving queen, she has been an inspiration and leaves an incredible legacy of a lifetime of dedication. This is a deeply sad time not only for the nation, but also for the millions of people around the world who have admired her, and we mourn along with all those around her.”
Further information about what will happen to the other Premier League matches during the mourning period is not yet known. A seven-day national mourning period was declared Friday morning, starting after the Queen’s funeral. Although there is no obligation from the government to postpone.
It is still unclear when the games of next weekend will be made up. The football calendar was already packed this season because of the upcoming World Cup in November and December.
In the Championship (English second division football), League One and League Two, all matches this weekend have also been postponed. Vincent Kompany normally took on Norwich with Burnley on Friday evening, but that match is cancelled. The matches in the Scottish Championship, the Scottish second division football, will also be canceled on Friday.
The British football teams that played in the Europa League and Conference League on Thursday evening already paid tribute to the late Queen. Before FC Zurich and Arsenal kicked off their second half, a minute of silence was held. Manchester United, West Ham United and the Scottish Heart of Midlothian did the same before the kick-off of their matches. West Ham fans also created a haunting moment by singing the national anthem God Save The Queen.
The organization of the Tour of Britain already announced on Thursday evening that Friday’s sixth stage will be canceled and the stages in the weekend have also been canceled. The cricket matches that were to take place on Friday have also been cancelled.
