ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Premier League games off as 'mark of respect' to the Queen

Everton's goalkeeper Jordan Pickford saves a ball as Liverpool's Roberto Firmino falls in the net during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Jon Super) Everton's goalkeeper Jordan Pickford saves a ball as Liverpool's Roberto Firmino falls in the net during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Share
LONDON -

The Premier League has postponed its upcoming round of matches as a mark of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, adding to the cancellation of high-profile golf, cricket and horse racing events across Britain on Friday.

England's top-flight soccer clubs held a meeting on Friday and said they wanted to "pay tribute to Her Majesty's long and unwavering service to our country."

"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."

The English Football League -- the three divisions below the Premier League -- scheduled for the weekend.

The British government said it was at the discretion of individual sporting organizations whether fixtures went ahead following the death of the Queen on Thursday at the age of 96.

British sport essentially shut down on Friday, but could be up and running by Saturday.

The BMW PGA Championship, the flagship event on the European tour, was paused near the end of the first round Thursday following the announcement of the queen's death -- there were still 30 players out on the course -- and there will be no play Friday.

"We remain hopeful of restarting at some stage over the weekend," , adding that it would be reviewing "protocol guidance from Buckingham Palace" while also aligning with the decisions made by other sporting events in Britain.

The that there would be no play on Friday in the third and deciding test between England and South Africa at the Oval. There was no immedite update on whether play would be resuming over the weekend.

Other events called off included cycling's Tour of Britain, which also cancelled the final two stages of the race scheduled for the weekend, and the third day of horse racing's St. Leger festival in Doncaster. The St. Leger, one of British racing's classics, will now take place on Sunday, organizers said Friday.

Horse racing was the queen's favourite sport.

Soccer matches in the English Football League -- the three leagues below the Premier League -- and in the Scottish lower league scheduled for Friday had already been postponed while matches scheduled to be played in Northern Ireland over the weekend were also cancelled.

The Premier League said further updates regarding its fixtures during the period of mourning, which has begun in Britain, will be provided "in due course."

Organizations are having to weigh up factors such as whether holding matches would use up police resources, the desire of broadcasters and the mood of the public.

There is little room in the schedule of this World Cup-affected season to fit in postponed fixtures.

The government said sporting organizations "might wish to consider cancelling or postponing events or closing venues on the day of the State Funeral."

That date of the State Funeral has not been set.

------

IN-DEPTH COVERAGE:

------

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating the death of a woman who was shot by the RCMP after allegedly barricading herself in a room with a toddler early Thursday morning.

Local Spotlight

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

A daytrip to the backcountry turned into a frightening experience for a Vancouver couple this weekend.

Stay Connected