Three Premier League football matches including Chelsea vs. Liverpool plus Arsenal’s European fixture against PSV Eindhoven have been cancelled this weekend due to preparations for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
In a statement issued in the past few minutes, the Premier League said there was “no other option but to postpone the three fixtures” after consulting with “clubs, police and local Safety Advisory Groups.”
The issue concerns a lack of police, with not enough units available due to preparations for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday, which is a national Bank Holiday.
Seven games will take place over the weekend but three – Chelsea Vs. Liverpool and Man Utd. Vs Leeds on Sunday, and Brighton vs. Crystal Palace on Saturday – will be played at a later date.
Arsenal’s Europa League game with Dutch side PSV has also been postponed.
“The Premier League would like to thank the UK Football Policing Unit and other police forces across the country, as well as our broadcast partners, for their support during this process, and will continue to liaise with them ahead of the weekend,” added the statement. “For the matches being played during the period of National Mourning, tributes will be paid to The Queen at Premier League stadiums.”
All of last weekend’s football league fixtures in the UK were postponed as a mark of respect to Queen Elizabeth II, the nation’s longest-serving monarch who died aged 96 on Thursday afternoon. Government guidance had stipulated that it was up to the respective sporting bodies whether to choose to postpone or not. Other sports, such as cricket, continued from Saturday.
