English Football will resume the 2022-23 season this week following postponement as mark of respect for Queen Elizabeth II following her death.
Whilst several sports including Cricket and Rugby continued as normal last weekend in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s death and commencement of national mourning, Football chose to grind to a halt as a mark for the late monarch.
Further discussions have since taken place with the entirety of English Football set to resume across the next week, subject to all aspects of safety requirements being fulfilled at individual matches.
In the Premier League, seven matches will go ahead with two further matches postponed for policing reasons alongside Brighton’s already cancelled clash against Crystal Palace – which was suspended prior to the Queen’s death due to planned rail strikes which have now been cancelled.
Manchester United’s home match against Leeds United and Liverpool’s televised trip to Chelsea on Sunday 18 September have been postponed until further notice, whilst Brentford’s London derby against Arsenal at Gtech Stadium that day has been brought forward two hours to a 12pm BST kick-off.
Sky though have opted to replace Chelsea’s meeting against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge with Everton’s encounter against West Ham at Goodison Park, with the latter match delayed 15 minutes from its original 2pm BST kick-off and will instead start at 2:15pm BST.
Confirmation of the top-flight’s resumption comes hours after English Football League (EFL) confirmed that action across Championship, League One and League Two will resume tomorrow evening (13 September).
EFL officials have also confirmed that every match played across the country will hold a minute’s silence pre-match, with black armbands worn by players whilst flags must be flown at half-mast and the National Anthem will be played inside stadiums prior to kick-off.
With a heavy policing presence expected in central London this week, EFL have urged clubs to continue working with local police forces in respect of potential issues concerning the policing of specific fixtures – i.e. local derbies and games involving high-risk away crowds.
On the prospect of postponements especially involving matches played in London, EFL said: “Consideration to individual circumstances will be made on a case-by-case basis, in line with standard match Safety Advisory Group (SAG) protocols.”
The FA meanwhile confirmed in a tweet that matches across Non League football and Women’s football will also resume this weekend, which will include what is now the opening weekend of 2022-23 Women’s Super League season.
After football came together last weekend to honour and remember Her Majesty The Queen, we have provided an update on the return of football matches. pic.twitter.com/k7N5fPSoke
— The FA (@FA) September 12, 2022
Various FA Trophy fixtures will therefore take place across 12-14 September after the First Qualifying Round was delayed from last weekend.
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