The death of Queen Elizabeth II has left Britain in a state of mourning, with sporting events being postponed wholesale in the wake of Thursday’s news.
The Premier League called off this weekend’s round of fixtures on Friday, in addition to the Football League, the Women’s Super League, and the Scottish Premiership among others.
Though taking time off from the playing field would seem to be a natural response to the death of such a towering figure, there were several across the sport who felt it wasn’t a great idea.
It wasn’t just the fact the postponements will cause even more fixture congestion in a World Cup-interrupted campaign already short on time, or that fans will now be scrambling to cancel travel plans.
Ex-England striker Peter Crouch said that playing the matches and memorializing the Queen would be a better tribute than not playing at all.
I know it’s only a game and some things are much bigger but imagine all our games went ahead this weekend.
Black armbands, silences observed, national anthem, Royal band playing etc to the millions around the world watching ?
Isn’t that a better send off ?
— Peter Crouch (@petercrouch) September 9, 2022
Piers Morgan concurred, saying the matches would have been a fitting tribute to the Queen, and ex-England defender Gary Neville agreed.
I agree Piers. Sport can demonstrate better than most the respect the Queen deserves . https://t.co/oYKTkEaUP0
— Gary Neville (@GNev2) September 9, 2022
The Football Supporters’ Association also released a statement in favor of playing matches this weekend.
“We believe football is at its finest when bringing people together at times of huge national significance – be those moments of joy or moments of mourning,” the statement read.
“Our view, which we shared with the football authorities, is that most supporters would have liked to go to games this weekend and pay their respect to the Queen alongside their fellow fans.”
Women’s Super League opening weekend off
The Women’s Super League has seen record ticket sales for the 2022-23 season on the back of a successful Euro 2022 tournament in England.
As a result, 10 of the 12 WSL sides will play some matches at the larger stadiums used by their male counterparts.
The WSL’s opening weekend was set to see matches at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Stamford Bridge and the Amex Stadium, but now the availability of those stadiums for the rescheduled matches is in doubt.
This means postponement of the WSL launch, post women’s Euros success. Several matches at men’s stadia that will be difficult to rearrange there.
— Molly Hudson (@M0lly_Writes) September 9, 2022
There could be more postponements to come, as the BBC reported that next weekend’s matches are in doubt due to policing needs ahead of the Queen’s funeral.
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