England and Scotland postpone football fixtures to honour late Queen
The Premier League, lower football leagues (EFL) in England and the Scottish league have postponed this weekend’s fixtures following the death of Queen Elizabeth on Thursday.
Sports event organisers from across the UK were involved in a call with Government on Friday to discuss the staging of fixtures in the wake of The Queen’s death.
Official Government guidance on the period of mourning appeared to give them the go-ahead to stage events as planned this weekend.
But it also advised against putting on anything that would clash with Her Majesty’s funeral.
However, both the Premier League and EFL confirmed the decision had been taken to postpone the next round of fixtures, including Leeds United against Nottingham Forest on Monday.
“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,” a statement from the Premier League said.
“Further updates regarding Premier League fixtures during the period of mourning will be provided in due course.”
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters added: “We and our clubs would like to pay tribute to Her Majesty’s long and unwavering service to our country.
“As our longest-serving monarch, she has been an inspiration and leaves behind an incredible legacy following a life of dedication.
“This is a tremendously sad time for not just the nation but also for the millions of people around the world who admired her, and we join together with all those in mourning her passing.”
The EFL had already postponed two matches scheduled for Friday —- Burnley versus Norwich in the Championship and Tranmere v Stockport in League Two.
No date has yet been fixed for the Queen’s funeral.
In a statement, the FA said: “Her Majesty the Queen was a long-standing Patron of The Football Association and has left a lasting and indelible legacy on our national game.
“As a mark of respect, following the passing of Her Majesty the Queen, English football has united to postpone all football fixtures between Sept. 9 and Sept. 11.
The second day of the Test match between England and South Africa on Friday was cancelled on Thursday evening by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Equally, organisers of the PGA Championship golf also suspended Friday’s play.
The British Horseracing Authority confirmed all racing would be cancelled on Saturday.
Fixtures and events are set to return on Sunday, with an additional day at Doncaster scheduled for the St Leger to take place.
The Great North Run, the world’s largest half-marathon, will also go ahead as planned on Sunday.
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