THE EFL have confirmed that today’s fixtures have been postponed as British sport pauses following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen died peacefully aged 96 on Tuesday – marking an end to her historic reign and making her son, Charles, King.
Charles, who will now be known as King Charles III, gave a sombre statement as he led the nation in mourning tonight.
Day Two of the cricket test match between England and South Africa at The Oval was cancelled as the country mourned the loss of its monarch.
The Queen's passing comes as…
- Liz Truss hailed the Queen as ‘the rock on which modern Britain was built’
- King Charles told of his 'greatest' sadness as he paid tribute to his mother
- The Queen went from a shy daddy's girl to a hero who dedicated her life to the country
- The Union flag flew at half mast as the devastating news was announced
- Prince Charles has now become King Charles III
- Prince Harry was pictured holding his head as he travelled to Balmoral to be with his family
- Crowds have gathered at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Balmoral to pay tribute to the Queen
The Queen's beloved horse racing was also stopped – with last night’s meetings at Southwell and Chelmsford both being abandoned.
The EFL then announced last night that they have postponed the two scheduled fixtures for this evening.
READ MORE SPORT
The 1966 World Cup to London 2012 ‘parachuting’ – The Queen’s life in sport
No monarch left their mark on the ‘sport of kings’ quite like The Queen
A statement 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 governing body and Premier League chiefs will make an announcement this morning on whether this weekend's games are cancelled.
While the Government is not planning to enforce a shutdown in sport, Prem chiefs are aware of a potential backlash if they play the weekend’s matches as scheduled and a meeting has been called for 11am this morning.
Most read in EFL
Will schools close? Major update as nation mourns the Queen
Harry & Meg's touching tribute to Queen as Royals make sweet gesture online
Here's what happens to coins and notes with Queen Elizabeth's face on
Harry holds his head as he travels to Balmoral after learning of Queen's death
Its chief executive Richard Masters is said to have told clubs that they will have to make their own decisions regarding games, with government guidance not “definitive”.
But an announcement confirming that all fixtures this weekend are postponed is expected.
A factor is the potential drain on police resources as towns and cities up and down the land pay tribute to The Queen after her 70-year reign.
A final call will be made by lunchtime with Prem chiefs aware that clubs will be setting off for overnight stays ahead of tomorrow’s games and that fans also will need to know if they are travelling.
But while there will be no Government action to block sports fixtures from taking place, football, rugby and racing in particular are thought to be leaning towards postponements.
Matches are still likely to take place over the coming 10 days after this weekend although sports bodies will be expected to mark the passing of Her Majesty Elizabeth II.
That will see fans and players asked to respect one minute silences before games, the national Anthem also to be played and black armbands worn.
If the weekend’s football matches are called off it will be a break with precedent from the last time a monarch died in the middle of the football season.
A full Football League fixture list, including the North London Derby between Spurs and Arsenal, took place on Saturday February 9 1952, three days after the death of King George VI.
The Government has contacted sports bodies to make it clear they have the final say on whether fixtures should be played – with a green light if there are suitable marks of respect paid.
European games involving Manchester United, Arsenal and West Ham all went ahead yesterday.
A minute's silence was held before United and West Ham played, while players also work black armbands in tribute to The Queen.
Ministers accepted that it would not have been feasible for the games at Old Trafford and the London Stadium to have been postponed when thousands of fans were already at the ground when the confirmation of The Queen’s death came last night.
READ MORE ON THE QUEEN’S DEATH
Queen dies aged 96 after 70 years of service leaving the UK in mourning
All the cancellations or closures after the Queen died – from shops to football
There was also a minute's silence during Arsenal's match against FC Zurich in Switzerland after the news broke during the game.
But it is expected that no sporting events will take place during the Queen’s funeral parade and service, expected to be on Monday September 18, although any night matches would be allowed to get ahead
Source: Read Full Article
