Has the Premier League been cancelled this weekend? EPL and EFL fixtures called off after death of Queen

The nation has entered a period of mourning following Thursday’s news of the Queen’s death
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The Premier League and Football League have announced that this weekend’s football fixtures have been called off in the aftermath of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The monarch passed away on Thursday afternoon at Balmoral, and will be succeeded by her son, King Charles III.

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A statement from Buckingham Palace read: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.

“The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”

The announcement of the Queen’s death led to widespread speculation over whether or not the footballing fixture list would proceed as initially planned.

Indeed, national mourning guidelines stated that governing bodies were under “no obligation” to cancel or postpone matches.

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Regardless, the decision has been taken to call of this weekend’s matches as a mark of respect to the monarch.

Which fixtures have been cancelled?

Both the Premier League and the Football League have taken the decision to postpone fixtures this weekend as a mark of respect for the Queen’s death.

A statement from the former read: “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.”

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At the time of writing, the SPFL are yet to make an official announcement on this weekend’s matches.

On Thursday evening, UEFA decided fixtures involving Manchester United and West Ham United would go ahead.

There was a minute’s silence at both Old Trafford and the London Stadium before the respective matches kicked off, with players and staff wearing black armbands.

Neither of the English sides held press conferences after their matches, however.

What else in the world of sport has been called off?

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Several other sporting events have been cancelled in the aftermath of the Queen’s passing.

In cricketing news, Friday’s play between England and South Africa in the Test match at The Oval was called off, but the ECB have since announced that play will begin again tomorrow, despite football matches being cancelled.

All racing is suspended for the entirety of Friday, with a further announcement expected as to when racing will resume and how the sport will continue to mark her passing.

With regards to boxing, Friday’s weigh-in for Claressa Shields vs Savannah Marshall will take place behind closed doors. An announcement regarding Saturday’s scheduled fight at The O2 in London will be made after consultation with the relevant government bodies.

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In rugby union, The Scottish Rugby Union has announced the suspension of all competitive domestic matches under its jurisdiction this weekend.

In rugby league, however, the situation is more nuanced.

The Super League announced it will “pay its respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II throughout the period of national mourning”, but also confirmed that Friday’s first Super League Elimination Play-Off in Perpignan will go ahead as scheduled, with a minute’s silence before kick-off and the players sporting black armbands.

A decision on the second Elimination Play-Off between Huddersfield Giants and Salford Red Devils, due to take place on Saturday, will be made on Friday.

The Championship fixture between Sheffield Eagles and Dewsbury Rams on Friday has already been postponed.

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In cycling, the remainder of this week’s Tour of Britain has been cancelled, while in athletics, The Great North 5K and the UK Athletics 5K Road Championships, both scheduled for Friday, have been cancelled.

Following Thursday’s announcement, The European Tour Group suspended golf at the BMW PGA Championship, and announced there will be no play at the tournament on Friday. Since, it has been announced that play will resume on Sautrday.

In F1, the Italian Grand Prix is set to go ahead this weekend as planned.

Formula 1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said: “Formula 1 sends its deepest condolences to the Royal Family and to the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.”

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