Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com
All Premier League, EFL and women’s football matches scheduled for this weekend have been postponed following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen died peacefully in Balmoral on Thursday afternoon at the age of 96, ending her unprecedented 70 years as British monarch.
“At a meeting this morning, Premier League clubs paid tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” read a statement from the Premier League:
“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.”
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 also released a statement announcing the postponements: “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.
“This is aligned with the approach that the Premier League and the FA will take with their competitions this weekend. Further information, in respect of how football, clubs and their supporters will commemorate Her Majesty’s reign will be confirmed at an appropriate point. Details regarding rearranged games will be announced in due course.”
The decision to postpone this weekend’s round of games – with the possibility of next weekend’s round also being called off depending on the date of The Queen’s state funeral – adds to an already packed fixture list during a season which will be forced to stop in the winter due to the World Cup in Qatar.
Among the Premier League matches scheduled for this weekend were the West London derby between Fulham and Chelsea – due to be Graham Potter’s first match in charge of the Blues – as well as Manchester City vs. Tottenham Hotspur.