How long will football be cancelled? Latest news about the matches in the Premier League and Champions League

The Premier League announced on 9 September that the scheduled round of matches between 10 and 12 September would be postponed, with numerous sporting governing bodies to follow suit.

The move is a mark of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, the longest reigning monarch in British history.

There are also questions surrounding Champions League match day 2, which is scheduled for next week, and the Premier League matches next weekend.

Here’s the latest on which matches have been postponed, when the matches will resume and how the schedule will be rescheduled.

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Will the Champions League be postponed this week?

On Thursday, September 8, a moment of silence was observed during matches with British teams in the Europa League and Europa Conference League as a sign of respect following the Queen’s death.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said he was “really saddened” by the news. “Our thoughts are with [the Royal] family and the President of the English Football Association, Prince William, as well as with the citizens of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth,” Ceferin added.

British clubs will be in action in the Champions League next week, with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Scottish club Rangers set to play at home after their domestic weekend games were also postponed.

UEFA and European football are deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, one of the world’s most respected figures.

— UEFA (@UEFA) September 8, 2022

UEFA has not made any announcement about postponing those midweek matches, and rescheduling them would present significant logistical challenges given the compressed schedule the group stage has already adopted due to the FIFA World Cup being pushed to a November-December date. schedule is moved.

Domestic matches elsewhere in Europe have not been postponed, so the other matches of the European Cup competition hosted outside the UK appear to be going ahead as planned.

Will the Premier League postpone matches next weekend?

News reports have suggested that Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral could take place on Monday, September 19.

The funeral would require significant police resources, leading to reports that it could be unfeasible to safely resume the Premier League schedule as the period of national mourning continues.

Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United are among the clubs that will play at home in the Premier League that weekend.

The Premier League said in its postponement announcement that further updates on upcoming matches would be provided “in due course”.

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Will Scottish football be postponed next weekend?

Football leaders in Scotland consulted their British counterparts before agreeing to postpone their domestic schedule at all levels.

Neil Doncaster, the chief executive of the Scottish Professional Football League, seemed to suggest they will be in a similar position to the organizers in England when it comes to games after the weekend.

After this morning’s meetings @ScottishFASPFL, @SWPLand the Scottish Highland and Lowland Football Leagues have agreed that all professional football matches will be postponed this weekend as a mark of respect following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

— SPFL (@spfl) September 9, 2022

“The death of the Queen, a constant in our lives for 70 years, is a profound and momentous event,” said Doncaster.

“It is therefore fitting that professional football should mark this event with all possible solemnity.

“We will inform clubs and supporters when we have clarity about the official arrangements for Her Majesty’s funeral.”

When does basic football start again?

With the exception of the date of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, it seems likely that grassroots football will resume on the weekend of September 18-19 as scheduled.

Pointing out that the Queen was the patron saint of the FA and Prince William its president, the National League said it “fully supports” the decision to postpone the games.

Declaration of the National League | Match schedule Saturday September 10th

— The National League (@TheVanaramaNL) September 9, 2022

“At this point, games will continue as scheduled from Monday, September 12,” the top league organizers of the non-league game in England said in a statement on September 9.

“We understand that no sporting event of any kind will be allowed on the day of the Queen’s funeral.”

Logistics issues that affect areas like policing are less likely to affect the base game, which requires fewer resources to run matches.

When will the postponed Premier League games be played?

The hectic schedule that the FIFA World Cup has imposed mid-season on the Premier League, which kicked off in early August, has already been the focus of attention for 16 rounds of matches by the second weekend in November.

League and club secretaries now face an unenviable task of finding places in the calendar when the games hit by postponement can be replayed.

Due to an international break at the end of September, there are no clear gaps in the schedule for the World Cup, so the rescheduled matches will almost certainly have to take place in 2023.

A midweek slot in the week beginning January 16 seems the most likely first date for rescheduled games to be held.

The situation is further complicated by the involvement of English teams in European and domestic cup competitions. The planned dates for all competitions are already known, so they would be released if clubs are eliminated by then.

Managers like Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp are rarely shy about expressing concerns about game congestion, and clubs are believed to have been assured of the risk of a pile-up before the announcement of the postponement was made.

There are similarities with the headache clubs clubs faced due to infection outbreaks at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic – except there was no six-week World Cup-shaped break to reckon with at the time.

Should Premier League games also be canceled over the weekend of September 17, clubs will not play top games for nearly a month before action resumes on the weekend of October 1 after the international break.