Football isolated after cancelling weekend games while other sports resume
Football was isolated in cancelling the entire weekend’s fixtures on Friday night as other major sports resumed following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Test cricket, golf at Wentworth and Premiership rugby all play on Saturday after getting the Government green light to return.
But, during cross-sport talks, Mark Bullingham, the Football Association’s chief executive, outlined a firm position to call off the national game following the death of its long-standing patron and grandmother of its current president, the new Prince of Wales.
After much deliberation over the past 24 hours, the Premier League and Football League agreed on a complete shutdown that includes the grass-roots game.
The decision prompted some dismay, with the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) and grass-roots organisations lamenting an “opportunity missed” to let fans and players pay immediate tribute to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
With other sports also divided in adopting what they saw as appropriate responses to the national period of mourning, it was also decided that:
- England’s series-deciding third Test against South Africa will begin on Saturday, but will take place over three days after the tourists refused to play on until Tuesday.
- The Oval crowd will be the first to sing ‘God Save the King’ at a major sporting event, with fancy dress banned and limits on alcohol consumption to ensure spectators act appropriately.
- Friday night’s rugby fixtures at Bristol Bears and Sale Sharks would be postponed with just hours to spare, leaving clubs furious
- The Great North Run takes place as planned, the PGA BMW Championship resumes as a 54-hole competition, while racing returns on Sunday.
- Cycling’s Tour of Britain is off and the women’s world middleweight title fight between Savannah Marshall and Claressa Shields is also postponed.
Millions of football fans and amateur players will stay at home on Saturday while cricket and rugby, including the recreational games, go ahead.
As sports met to discuss their positions on Friday morning, England captain Ben Stokes posted online he would “be honoured to play” in the late Queen’s memory at an Oval ground owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, inherited on Thursday by Prince William from his father, the King.
Premiership Rugby then confirmed all games on Saturday and Sunday would be played as planned. Bristol and Bath, scheduled to play on Friday night are now due to meet at 5.30pm, while Sale and Northampton goes ahead on Sunday at 3pm. In rugby league, Saturday’s Super League play-off between Huddersfield and Salford is also set to go ahead.
Official advice from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport left postponement decisions at the discretion of sporting bodies, with “no obligation” to make changes, but football eventually decided the best course of action was a full cancellation.
FA chair Debbie Hewitt said: “This is a great example of football working in unity. We all absolutely 100 per cent agree this was the right thing to do to pay our respects.”
Football faces criticism for ‘missed opportunity’
The decision put pressure on an already tight schedule, with the first winter World Cup having necessitated a compressed early part of the season. Fixtures from Tuesday are now all but certain to return although there is major concern about the logistics of staging them next Sunday on the eve of the Queen’s funeral.
Gary Neville and Peter Crouch were among former players critical of this weekend’s cancellation, but the FSA recognised the game had faced a tough decision. “Not everyone will agree, so there was no perfect decision for the football authorities, but many supporters will feel this was an opportunity missed for football to pay its own special tributes,” it said.
Manchester United observed a minute’s silence before their Europa League match on the day of the Queen’s death but will not play their Premier League match against Crystal Palace on Saturday
Credit: PETER POWELL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
There will be no racing on Saturday but the season’s last Classic, the Cazoo St Leger due to take place at Doncaster, will be the centrepiece of a nine-race card at the Yorkshire course on Sunday.
To mark what the British Horseracing Authority described as the “special bond” between the sport and the late Queen, all meetings were cancelled on Friday and the card at Doncaster, Chester, Lingfield, Chelmsford, Musselburgh and Ffos Las will not go ahead on Saturday.
Under the new official guidance from Government, sports were told “there is no obligation to cancel or postpone events and sporting fixtures, or close entertainment venues during the national mourning period”.
A full sporting wipeout is suggested for the day of the funeral, however. “As a mark of respect, organisations might wish to consider cancelling or postponing events or closing venues on the day of the state funeral,” the guidance added. “They are under no obligation to do so and this is entirely at the discretion of individual organisations. If sporting fixtures or events are planned for the day of the state funeral, organisations may want to adjust the event timings so they do not clash with the timings of the funeral service and associated processions.”
Fixtures taking place in the intervening period were advised to pay appropriate respects, however. The Premier League’s postponement included Monday evening’s game. The top tier’s chief executive, Richard Masters said: “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.”
In tennis, next week’s Davis Cup Finals tennis tournament in Glasgow will go ahead, the Lawn Tennis Association confirmed.
Racing off until Sunday; boxing cancelled
There will be no racing on Saturday but the season’s last Classic, the Cazoo St Leger which was due to take place at Doncaster, will be centrepiece of a nine-race card at the Yorkshire course on Sunday.
To mark what the British Horseracing Authority described as the “special bond” between the sport and the Queen, all meetings were cancelled for Friday and the card at Doncaster, Chester, Lingfield, Chelmsford, Musselburgh and Ffos Las will not go ahead on Saturday.
Sunday’s scheduled meeting at Chepstow will take place along with a bumper card at Doncaster which will also include the Doncaster Cup but the meeting at Musselburgh has been called off because the Queen’s body will be resting in state in Edinburgh.
All racecourses racing from Sunday and over the mourning period will continue to mark the Queen’s passing with tributes on-course. Flags will fly at half mast, jockeys will wear black armbands and a period of silence will be observed before the first race at each meeting.
In boxing, all fights scheduled for Friday are off and that Saturday’s middleweight world title fight between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall has also been postponed.
Guidance on how to mourn
Under the new official guidance from Government, sports have been told “there is no obligation to cancel or postpone events and sporting fixtures, or close entertainment venues during the national mourning period”.
A full sporting wipeout is suggested for the day of the funeral, however.
“As a mark of respect, organisations might wish to consider cancelling or postponing events or closing venues on the day of the state funeral,” the guidance adds. “They are under no obligation to do so and this is entirely at the discretion of individual organisations. If sporting fixtures or events are planned for the day of the state funeral, organisations may want to adjust the event timings so they do not clash with the timings of the funeral service and associated processions.”
Fixtures that do take place in the intervening period are advised to pay appropriate respects, however.
“As a mark of respect, and in keeping with the tone of national mourning, organisers may wish to hold a period of silence and/or play the national anthem at the start of events or sporting fixtures, and players may wish to wear black armbands,” the guidance adds.
Golfers called off mid-round
In cricket, the Duchy of Cornwall is the landlord of the Kia Oval, and the England and Wales Cricket Board immediately convened a board meeting on Thursday to delay England’s third Test.
A four-day Test now looks likely to begin on Saturday, with England due to fly to Pakistan on Wednesday for the Twenty20 series starting in Karachi.
Golf’s European Tour Group, meanwhile, immediately stopped play at the BMW PGA Championship and later cancelled Friday’s action.
Despite the cancellations this weekend, some English football sides were involved in European fixtures on Thursday night. Manchester United said they had been directed by both the FA and Uefa to press ahead with their Europa League fixture against Real Sociedad. Arsenal were playing at FC Zurich when the Queen’s death was announced. A minute’s silence took place immediately before the start of the second half.
Sport overseas is certain to go ahead as planned. Sources within Formula 1 say there is no expectation that the Monza Grand Prix will be delayed. However, there will be commemorations and an inevitably sombre mood.
Source: telegraph.co.uk