EFL confirm Championship, League One and League Two to return from tomorrow after postponement following Queen’s death
THE EFL have confirmed that its fixture schedule will resume from tomorrow following the death of The Queen.
The Queen died peacefully aged 96 on Thursday – marking an end to her historic reign and making her son, Charles, King.
The Premier League and EFL postponed all matches last weekend as Scotland followed suit along with a host of other sporting events to pay tribute to Her Majesty.
Now the EFL have announced that its midweek fixture list will go ahead as planned.
A statement read: “The EFL fixture programme will return as scheduled from Tuesday 13 September, with tributes to be paid to Her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II at grounds around the country.
“A minute’s silence will be held before matches, with black armbands to be worn by participants, flags to be flown at half-mast and the National Anthem to be played in stadiums.
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“With a national policing plan now in operation, the League and Clubs will continue to work with forces in respect of any challenges that may emerge regarding policing of specific fixtures.
“Consideration to individual circumstances will be made on a case-by-case basis, in line with standard match Safety Advisory Group (SAG) protocols.”
Meanwhile, football chiefs and police are continuing talks today over a number of potential match postponements for this coming weekend.
The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II has been confirmed for Monday 19 September in London.
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A host of police officers from across the country are set to be drafted into London to work on it and the other events surrounding the send-off with millions of mourners due to descend on the capital.
As we reported last week, that means that Sunday’s Premier League games between Brentford and Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool and Manchester United vs Leeds are among those being discussed about being postponed or moved.
Up in Scotland, Rangers’ Champions League fixture at home to Napoli has been delayed for 24 hours and away supporters have been banned.
SunSport understands that England’s representatives in Uefa’s competitions this midweek will not be affected, with Arsenal’s Europa League clash in North London against PSV on Thursday still scheduled to go ahead.
But talks are still ongoing regarding the domestic top-flight clashes for next weekend.
Switching games to the opposition’s venue has already been discussed, but they have also hit major roadblocks.
For example, Liverpool’s neighbours Everton are also playing at home on Sunday, meaning Chelsea switching their game to Anfield is highly unlikely.
Meanwhile, a huge police presence is expected at Old Trafford for the game between heated rivals United and Leeds, which would also stretch resources.
And EFL fixtures are also at risk in and around London with Millwall, QPR and Watford due to be hosting matches.
But officials are still “hopeful” that a positive conclusion could be reached.
A National Police Chiefs Council spokesperson said: “We will work with football clubs to try and ensure that, where possible, football fixtures can take place safely when balanced against the requirement to support national events and deliver day-to-day policing.
“This is a unique situation and we are working closely with everyone involved.”
More to follow…