Premier League games are to be postponed this weekend following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
A 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.
“Further updates regarding Premier League fixtures during the period of mourning will be provided in due course.”
Richard Masters, Premier League chief executive said: “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 have also postponed their games. They said: “Further to discussions on Friday morning it has been determined that all EFL fixtures from 9-10 September will be postponed as a mark of respect by the National Sport to the passing of HRH Queen Elizabeth II.”
The National League postponed their fixtures shortly after the Premier League and EFL. All games in Scotland have also been postponed.
Some clubs were understood to already be travelling around the country ahead of this weekend’s matches.
Buckingham Palace announced the death of the Queen on Thursday.
Later that evening, the EFL announced that fixtures that were scheduled to be played Friday had been postponed.
Burnley and Norwich were due to face each other in the Championship, while Tranmere Rovers and Stockport County had a League Two match scheduled. These matches are no longer taking place today.
In their statement, the EFL added that a decision on whether the weekend’s games will go ahead has yet to be made.
An EFL statement on Thursday evening read: “As a mark of respect, following the passing of Her Majesty, The Queen Elizabeth II earlier today, the EFL has confirmed that its fixtures scheduled for tomorrow evening (Friday 9 September) — Burnley v Norwich City and Tranmere Rovers v Stockport County — have been postponed.
“A determination regarding the remainder of this weekend’s scheduled fixtures will be made following a review of the official mourning guidance, in addition to further consultation with DCMS and other sports on Friday morning. ”
The Northern Irish FA have announced that this weekend’s fixtures in the country have been postponed.
(The Athletic)
