The Football Fans Association described the decision to postpone matches across the country this weekend as “a missed opportunity for football”.
On Friday morning, a little over 24 hours in advance, the Premier League announced that all 10 games this weekend, including Liverpool vs Wolves, would be postponed “as a show of respect” for the Queen, who has passed away. Thursday.
It is not just the Premier League that has made the decision to suspend games, with the vast majority of matches being postponed down to grassroots level.
Some fans have questioned the decision to cancel games at such short notice, pointing to the impact it has on people who have spent money arranging travel and tickets during a financial crisis, as well as on local businesses that depend on the income they receive from around the matches.
Several other sports will continue as normal this weekend, with various golf, cricket and rugby events taking place as scheduled.
It is with great sadness that we received the news yesterday that the Queen had died peacefully at Balmoral. After that, the soccer authorities said today that the game would be postponed, from the PL to the bases. Our answer is below. pic.twitter.com/DjB593V6NE
— The FSA (@WeAreTheFSA) September 9, 2022
The Football Supporters Association has expressed disappointment at the decision to postpone the games, questioning why fans were not given the opportunity to pay their respects to the Queen at matches.
“We believe that football is at its best when it brings people together at times of great national importance, whether they are times of joy or times of mourning,” read an FSA statement.
“Our view, which we share with the football authorities, is that most fans would have liked to go to matches this weekend and pay their respects to the Queen together with their fellow fans.
“Not everyone will agree that it was not a perfect decision for the football authorities, but many supporters will feel that this was a missed opportunity for football to pay its special tributes.
“As usual, the Football Supporters Association will be collecting advice on the rights of fans in respect of expenses incurred in connection with the postponed matches this weekend.”
The postponements have also hit a number of local businesses hard, with Anfield-based community-led company Homebaked releasing a statement of its own on Friday.
With most people going about their normal lives this weekend, it’s hard to see why football should be cancelled, especially on such short notice.
Some fans enjoy following their teams for the benefit of their own sanity, and while it’s understandable that some would want to pay their respects this weekend, there were surely plenty of ways to do so while attending football games.
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