Premier League postpones weekend fixtures as Britain mourns death of Queen Elizabeth II

ByEurosport

Updated 09/09/2022 at 19:09 GMT

This weekend’s Premier League fixtures have been postponed, the Premier League have said in a statement. The decision follows a meeting of clubs earlier on Friday, and comes after postponements across the sporting world following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The UK government had earlier provided guidance that said there was “no obligation to cancel or postpone events and sporting fixtures".

Premier League postpones weekend fixtures

The Premier League has postponed this weekend’s fixtures following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - with football as a whole across England being shut down.

The UK government said on Friday morning in a document titled ‘Guidance for the Period of National Mourning’ that there was "no obligation to cancel or postpone events and sporting fixtures, or close entertainment venues” after the death of the UK's longest-reigning monarch.

However, the Premier League has said in a statement that games will be postponed to honour the Queen's "extraordinary life and contribution to the nation, and as a mark of respect".

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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.”

There were six Premier League games scheduled for Saturday, with a further three games set to take place on Sunday and one on Monday evening, but those games have now been called off.

The games were:

Fulham v Chelsea
Bournemouth v Brighton
Southampton v Brentford
Liverpool v Wolves
Leicester v Aston Villa
Man City v Tottenham
Arsenal v Everton
West Ham v Newcastle
Crystal Palace v Manchester United
Leeds v Nottingham Forest

The EFL and Women's Super League have also cancelled their weekend programme of fixtures, and the Football Association confirmed in a statement that football at all levels, including the grassroots game, would be postponed.

The decision follows postponements across the sporting spectrum.

The BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth was suspended on Thursday, with the DP World Tour adding that there would be no play on Friday either, and England’s deciding Test match with South Africa was also suspended, again with no play on Friday.

The British Horseracing Authority said it would decide on Friday when to resume its programme of events after it also suspended competition on Thursday.

Queen Elizabeth II died aged 96 on Thursday.