ROYAL NEWS
Why the Queen’s funeral preparations postpone more European football games
The funeral for Queen Elizabeth II will take place on Monday 19 September, and resourcing demands mean Arsenal vs PSV is pushed back.
News hit global headlines on Thursday 8 September as it was confirmed that Queen Elizabeth II had died. As well as the mourning and other reactions that followed, the well planned drill for the late monarch’s funeral begin in earnest, and this has had a number of knock-on impacts on the world of sport.
Why was Arsenal - PSV game postponed?
As businesses and organisations around the United Kingdom made their own arrangements to close up, or not, as a gesture of respect, sporting bosses had similar decisions to make. Unlike most others, the Premier League and the FA, English football’s governing bodies chose to cancel the sport at all levels over the weekend. Not something that everyone agreed about, and an already busy few months of action will have to find space to squeeze these games in.
But as well as the decision making, other games were put in doubt due to a lack of resourcing in London, where many of the aspects of the funeral preparations are taking place.
More news about the Queen’s death:
On Monday we learned that Thursday’s Europa League group game between Arsenal and PSV Eindhoven had been postponed, a UEFA match that would take place in England’s capital city. This was due to the lack of adequate security personnel. European football’s governing body announced the following:
“This is due to the severe limitations on police resources and organisational issues related to the ongoing events surrounding the national mourning for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.”
As yet, the new date for this group stage match has not been confirmed.
More Premier League cancellations expected
Given that the need for policing and security will continue right up to and including Monday, further games scheduled to take place in London were also at risk of cancellation.
Between Saturday 17 September and Sunday 18 September, three pending matches in the capital -- Tottenham-Leicester, Brentford-Arsenal and Chelsea-Liverpool -- were seen as likely. Postponing them may be the only option, especially given the followings that some of the those teams have, but it could potentially have huge ramifications with the previous week’s schedule pushed back too.
The Premier League then announced the three games that would be postponed ‘due to events surrounding The Queen’s funeral’, only one of which was in London. Those games are: Chelsea vs Liverpool, Manchester United vs Leeds and Brighton vs Crystal Palace. All other matches will go ahead.