The Premier League has decided to call off all of its games this weekend following the sad demise of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, September 8.
The league officially announced the postponement of its fixture for gameweek seven on their website. The statement reads:
"At a meeting this morning, Premier League clubs paid tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. To honor her extraordinary life and contribution to the nation, and as a mark of respect, this weekend’s Premier League match round will be postponed, including Monday evening’s game."
The statement also stated that there could be changes in the league fixtures during the mourning period, which would be announced in the coming days. According to the Independent, there will be a 10-day national mourning period starting on Friday (September 9).
The league's chief executive Richard Masters paid his respects to Queen Elizabeth II. Masters was quoted as saying the following (via the Premier League's official website):
“We and our clubs would like to pay tribute to Her Majesty’s long and unwavering service to our country. As our longest-serving monarch, she has been an inspiration and leaves behind an incredible legacy following a life of dedication."
He added:
"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.”
It is worth mentioning that the Premier League is not the only league to postpone its fixtures following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. The EFL has also postponed all of its weekend fixtures from 9-10 September in the Championship, League One and League Two.
Premier League clubs pay their respect to Queen Elizabeth II
A host of teams from the English top flight paid their homage to Queen Elizabeth II following her demise. The clubs posted various heart-warming messages on social media and on their websites.
It is worth mentioning that some clubs were playing on the day of the tragic loss. West Ham United paid tribute to the Queen prior to their game against FCSB in the Europa Conference League.
Arsenal were already in action against FC Zurich in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday. The news about the Queen's passing came at half-time. Arsenal players came out of the second half wearing black armbands and paid their respects by maintaining a minute's silence before restarting the game.
Manchester United were also in action in the Europa League against Real Sociedad. Both sides also observed a minute's silence to pay their respects.