The real season for the decision to postpone all football matches in the United Kingdom this weekend has been revealed.
Daily Mail reports that the decision was partly motivated by fears that fans would not universally respect tributes to the Queen.
Various leagues in the United Kingdom, such as the Premier League, EFL, WSL and even grassroots football were all put on hold this weekend.
This was initially said to have been done as a mark of respect to the Queen, though the move was at odds with most other major sports.
While football is on pulse over the weekend, the likes of Cricket, rugby, golf, horse racing and other events will continue.
The decision to suspend football has largely met a backlash from the likes of former Manchester United defender and popular pundit, Gary Neville and Talk TV host, Piers Morgan who felt it should have gone ahead as scheduled.
Now Daily Mail says that the possibility of staging games in the English top flight with appropriate gestures and messaging was debated but ultimately vetoed.
According to the report, part of the reason behind the suspension owed to concerns that some supporters may not respect the tributes and potentially cause ‘global embarrassment’ for the league and wider football community.
The report says that Premier League clubs feared the potential for scenes such as those at the Europa Conference League game between Shamrock Rovers and Djurgardens on Thursday, where supporters sparked outrage by singing offensive songs against the Queen.
The Premier League board then unanimously reached the recommendation to postpone the weekend’s matches and while it was debated, the decision was accepted by all 20 clubs. Continue Reading
