The Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham events that have been cancelled after Queen Elizabeth II dies
All three clubs are expected to have their domestic fixtures cancelled this weekend with confirmation expected early on Friday
Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham events have been cancelled already following Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s death on Thursday, hinting at the outcome of the DCMS meeting in the morning.
Whilst Arsenal were opening their Europa League campaign abroad in Switzerland, Chelsea were trying to acclimatise and welcome Graham Potter. Meanwhile, Spurs were on the day off following their Champions League win on Wednesday night. At the same time as all these activities, it was announced by the Royal Family at just past 6pm (GMT) on Thursday, September 8, 2022, that Her Majesty had passed away at the beautiful age of 96.
Having served as Monarch for 70 years and in that time forming such a close relationship with the adoring British public, this news still hasn’t really sunk in for many as a 12-day period of national mourning has officially begun. King Charles III’s (her son’s) reign as the King is now upon everyone, but that significant change in the Royal Family structure has been put on the back burner whilst people remember Her Majesty.
Many Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham players have paid their respects on their respective social media accounts. Another big implication of this massive development is what happens to sports events across the United Kingdom.
With the death common knowledge by 7pm, Manchester United’s Europa League game against Real Sociedad and West Ham’s UEFA Conference League fixture vs Romanian side FCSB went ahead with all players wearing black armbands and observing a minute’s silence as a sign of respect.
However, EFL fixtures on Friday were immediately cancelled, meaning there was no Burnley vs Norwich or Tranmere Rovers vs Stockport county. The EFL’s statement read: “Today, the EFL was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Her Majesty, The Queen Elizabeth II.
“Over a 70-year reign, Her Majesty proudly served the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth with distinction. The Queen had a keen interest in sport, including football. Her Majesty attended numerous FA Cup Finals throughout her reign and was an advocate for our national sport through her many years of service.
“The Monarch was at Wembley Stadium in 1966 for perhaps our national game’s most famous moment to present captain Bobby Moore with the Jules Rimet Trophy after England beat West Germany to win the World Cup.
“On behalf of the League and its Clubs, we join the rest of the nation and people across the world in mourning the passing of our Queen, Elizabeth II. The thoughts of everybody at the EFL and our Clubs are with the Royal Family at this sad time for our country.”
“Consideration in respect of EFL fixtures will be discussed with the Government and the wider sport sector during the period ahead, and an appropriate announcement will be made at the earliest opportunity.”
The meeting between the Premier League, EFL and FAWSL with the Department for Digital Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is expected to take place at 9am, with the outcome likely to see all of Arsenal’s, Chelsea’s and Tottenham’s domestic games for their men’s and women’s sides cancelled as a sign of respect for this national tragedy.
But before the meeting itself, there have been a number of hints to suggest this will be the outcome of the various cancellations in certain areas. Graham Potter’s first press conference ahead of Fulham, which was scheduled to take place at 1.30pm, has been called off. The same fate is likely to happen with Antonio Conte’s Tottenham press conference ahead of Man City. Meanwhile, Arsenal themselves did not post anything on their social media account in the second half of their FC Zurich victory with no press conference after the match and manager Mikel Arteta doing no media duties. The Gunners were not due to have a press conference today.
