Football in England has been called off for the weekend following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.
The Premier League and other organisations released statements earlier today to announce their decisions to postpone matches as a show of respect to the monarch after her 70-year reign, as the UK enters a period of national mourning.
The Premier League’s statement read: “At a meeting this morning, Premier League clubs paid tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. To honour her extraordinary life and contribution to the nation, and as a mark of respect, this weekend’s Premier League match round will be postponed, including Monday evening’s game.”
As a mark of respect to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, this weekend’s Premier League match round will be postponed.
— Premier League (@premierleague) September 9, 2022
The decision has caused a division of opinions on social media as to whether this was the right thing to do as some, such as Gary Neville, believe that sports crowds would have given The Queen the respect she deserves.
The reasons for the decision have since been revealed by the Daily Telegraph’s, Ben Rumsby, who states that there were four primary points to matches being postponed. These are:
1. Elizabeth II was a patron of the FA (she isn’t of most other sports).
2. Her grandson is president of the FA.
3. Football is the national sport.
4. Initial tributes had already been paid at matches.
Main reasons I’m told football was called off this weekend when others weren’t.
1. Elizabeth II was patron of the FA (she isn’t of most other sports).
2. Her grandson is president of the FA.
3. Football is the national sport.
4. Initial tributes had already been paid at matches.— Ben Rumsby (@ben_rumsby) September 9, 2022
