Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, the country of England is entering a period of mourning. And apparently, that mourning period will not include English Premier League soccer over the weekend.
On Friday morning, the league announced that it is postponing this weekend’s English Premier League match round “as a mark of respect to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.”
“As our longest-serving monarch, she has been an inspiration and leaves behind an incredible legacy following a life of dedication,” Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said in a statement. “This is a tremendously sad time for not just the nation, but also for the millions of people around the world who admired her, and we join together with all those in mourning her passing.”
While the entire Premier League slate is canceled, the DP World Tour announced on Friday that the BMW PGA Championship will resume on Saturday as a 54-hole event.
The decision to suspend all Premier League matches for the weekend was not particularly popular in the soccer world. Many took to Twitter to express their displeasure and point out that a mass cancelation like this affects the working class the most.
This is the wrong decision imo. People's lives have been put on hold enough over the last few years, and live sport is a tonic for many. As others have pointed out, the Queen loved sport herself. Haven't spoken to any fan who supported a postponement https://t.co/jvXFyPSoEg
— Liam Corless (@liamcorless) September 9, 2022
While the league did not immediately outline when matches will resume, the statement said that updates will be provided “in due course.”