The Football Association has confirmed that football at all levels can resume in England following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The 96-year-old monarch of the United Kingdom passed away at Balmoral Castle last Thursday.
England's football governing body briefly suspended all sorts of football activity. All scheduled matches across different levels were postponed to mourn the sad demise of the Queen. However, the Football Association has decided to resume its activities as scheduled for the upcoming week.
The most recent England Football Association statement reads:
"Last weekend, English football united together to honour and remember Her Majesty the Queen. We would like to express our thanks and gratitude to everyone across our game for their support and understanding as we paid respect to our long-standing Patron of The Football Association, Queen Elizabeth II."
The statement confirmed that the planned schedule of the Women's Super League, Women’s Championship and the second round qualifiers of the FA Cup will be held on time as normalcy returns after a state of mourning. The statement added that a minute's silence must be kept before the beginning of the match and players should wear a black armband in remembrance of the Queen:
"All matches held at stadiums are subject to leagues and clubs working with the relevant authorities to stage these fixtures, as usual practice.
"We will be recommending to clubs, leagues and competitions across the country that a minute’s silence is observed before matches are played, and that black armbands should be worn where possible. All flags at Wembley Stadium and St. George’s Park will continue to fly at half-mast this week and over the weekend."
Despite the approval of the Football Association to organize the Premier League matches as scheduled, many fixtures are believed to have been postponed due to logistical issues. Arsenal's Europa League match against PSV Eindhoven has already been postponed as it is scheduled to be held at the Emirates Stadium on September 15.
The Premier League has also released a statement confirming the resumption of top-tier football. However, three matches out of the ten scheduled have been postponed due to several reasons.
Matches postponed on Sunday 18 September are Chelsea’s fixture against Liverpool and Manchester United’s home match against Leeds United. Brighton & Hove Albion’s fixture against Crystal Palace will also be held later.
Manchester United fans react after their Premier League fixture against Leeds United is postponed following the Queen's funeral
Manchester United fans have been left fuming after the Premier League authorities postponed their upcoming home game against Leeds United following the Queen's demise.
The Red Devils have a four-game winning streak in the top-tier English league and fans were hoping to continue in the same way. However, with two matches being called off, the Red Devils will be up against defending champions Manchester City in their next Premier League game on October 2.
Here are some of the reactions from the Manchester United fans after the new Premier League statement: