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All football in England postponed to mourn Queen, other UK sport goes ahead

Reuters, Joshua Donaldson
Updated
All football in England postponed to mourn Queen, other UK sport goes ahead
All football in England postponed to mourn Queen, other UK sport goes aheadReuters
All football in England, including the Premier League and the English Football League (EFL), have postponed their next round of fixtures this weekend as a mark of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth, they said on Friday. Elsewhere, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) said racing will resume on Sunday and the Great North Run will take place as scheduled. National rugby and cricket are also set to be played on the weekend.

"As a mark of respect to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, this weekend's Premier League match round will be postponed," it said in a statement.

The queen, Britain's longest-reigning monarch, died peacefully at her home in Scotland on Thursday aged 96.

"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."

The EFL said all its fixtures from Sept. 9-10 will be postponed.

"This is aligned with the approach that the Premier League and the FA will take with their competitions this weekend," the EFL said.

Alongside the top four leagues in England, all non-league and grassroots football has been postponed out of respect for the late Queen. 

The Women's Super League (WSL), which was meant to kick off in grand fashion this weekend following England's triumph in the European Championships, has also been postponed. 

Earlier on Friday, all football fixtures in Northern Ireland this weekend were postponed. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) had earlier provided guidance saying there was "no obligation to cancel or postpone events and sporting fixtures, or close entertainment venues during the National Mourning period".

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) suspended all events for two days and said they would resume on Sunday.

"However, the fixture scheduled for Musselburgh racecourse on Sunday will be cancelled as a mark of respect for the fact that the Queen's body will be lying in rest in Edinburgh," it added.

Sunday's Great North Run half marathon will go ahead as planned, organisers said.

"The thousands of runners taking part are expected to raise an estimated 25 million pounds ($28.99 million) in much needed charitable donations, a fitting tribute to the Queen, who lived her life in the service of our country and its people," they said.

England's cricket board (ECB) said the men's test match between England and South Africa will resume at The Oval on Saturday after Friday's day two was suspended.

The first day had been washed out without a ball being bowled. The ECB was also exploring the possibility of extending the match to Tuesday to make up for losing day two, however Saturday's play has now been confirmed as day three with the tourists scheduled to fly home on Tuesday.

Saturday's women's Twenty20 international between England and India will also go ahead in Durham.

The BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth will restart on Saturday as a 54-hole event, the DP World Tour said after play was suspended late on Thursday and Friday's play was cancelled.

"It is not possible to play the full 72 holes and finish on Monday as we cannot guarantee the staff, facilities or security of the venue on Monday due to the on-going plans for the state funeral," organisers said.

RUGBY GOES AHEAD

England's Rugby Football Union (RFU), however, said matches and other rugby activities scheduled for the weekend would go ahead so people could come together and mourn.

"The overwhelming opinions shared so far within the game, are that teams and supporters want to come together to honour Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to be united in our grief as we express sorrow at her passing," the RFU said.

Premiership Rugby postponed two season-opening matches scheduled for Friday - Bristol Bears v Bath Rugby and Sale Sharks v Northampton Saints - but said its other fixtures on Saturday and Sunday would go ahead as planned.

"Prior to the start of each match, a one-minute silent tribute will take place. All players and coaches will be invited to wear black armbands," they said.

The British Boxing Board of Control postponed all its tournaments this weekend, which means Savannah Marshall's world middleweight title fight with Claressa Shields will not take place.