Following the sad news of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96 on Thursday afternoon, all football matches scheduled to take place in England and Scotland this weekend have been postponed as a mark of respect.
All Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two fixtures have been called off, as well as the start of the new Women's Super League season, together with every scheduled non-league and grassroots game.
A statement released by the Premier League on Friday morning read: "At a meeting this morning, Premier League clubs paid tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. To honour 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."
While the move is entirely understandable given the circumstances, many would have liked the weekend's footballing program to proceed as planned in celebration of The Queen's life.
Among those in support of that course of action was broadcaster Piers Morgan, who took to Twitter before the postponements were confirmed to urge the game's governing bodies to carefully consider their decision.
The UK Government had already confirmed there was no obligation to cancel or postpone events and sporting fixtures during the national mourning period - and that it was up to individual competitions to make their own call on whether or not to halt fixtures.
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"Sporting events should go ahead", wrote Morgan on the social media platform.
"a) The Queen loved sport and b) It would be great to see/hear huge crowds singing the National Anthem in tribute to Her Majesty, as West Ham fans did so magnificently last night," he argued, referring to the heartwarming rendition of 'God Save The Queen' that rang around the London Stadium prior to the club's Europa Conference League encounter with Fotbal Club FCSB on Thursday evening.
West Ham's fixture, together with Manchester United's Europa League match with Real Sociedad at Old Trafford only went ahead as UEFA deemed it too late to postpone the matches by the time The Queen's passing was confirmed at 6:30pm.
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 08: The LED board shows a photo Queen Elizabeth II as players of West Ham United and FCSB observe a minutes silence after it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II has passed away during the UEFA Europa Conference League group B match between West Ham United and FCSB at London Stadium on September 08, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Morgan branded the decision to halt this weekend's games as "ridiculous" after the announcement was made of their cancellation.
Football pundits Gary Neville and Peter Crouch were quick to take issue with the decision as well.
"I agree Piers. Sport can demonstrate better than most the respect the Queen deserves," insisted former Manchester United right-back Neville.
Ex-England and Liverpool striker Crouch shared his disappointment, stating: "I know it’s only a game and some things are much bigger but imagine all our games went ahead this weekend.
"Black armbands, silences observed, national anthem, Royal band playing etc to the millions around the world watching? Isn’t that a better send off?"
ASCOT, ENGLAND - JUNE 16: Queen Elizabeth ll and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh arrive in an open carriage on Ladies Day at Royal Ascot on June 16, 2011 in Ascot, England. The five-day meeting is one of the highlights of the horse racing calendar, with 2011 marking the 300th anniversary of the annual event. Horse racing has been held at the famous Berkshire course since 1711. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Their sentiments were echoed by the Football Supporters' Association, who issued a statement reading: "We believe football is at its finest when bringing people together at times of huge national significance – be those moments of joy or moments of mourning.
"Our view, which we shared with the football authorities, is that most supporters would have liked to go to games this weekend and pay their respect to the Queen alongside their fellow fans.
"Not everyone will agree, so there was no perfect decision for the football authorities, but many supporters will feel this was an opportunity missed for football to pay its own special tributes."
Premier League fixtures postponed - The Football Terrace