Chelsea’s Premier League clash against Liverpool next Sunday at Stamford Bridge is in doubt following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, according to reports.
Graham Potter’s wait for his first game in charge of Chelsea following his Head Coach appointment has been extended after their game on Saturday afternoon against Fulham was postponed to honour the life of the Queen who sadly passed away on Thursday afternoon at Balmoral.
Despite the Government giving the green light for sporting events to go ahead this weekend, the Premier League made the decision to postpone all games.
A Premier League statement on Friday morning read: “At a meeting this morning, Premier League clubs paid tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
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“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.
Richard Masters, Premier League Chief Executive, said: “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.
"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.”
The statement continued: “This is aligned with the approach that The FA and EFL will take with their competitions this weekend.
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“Further updates regarding Premier League fixtures during the period of mourning will be provided in due course.”
Potter will now have several days with his team before their next scheduled game which is due to be against FC Salzburg in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge next Wednesday.
However, his first Premier League game in charge of the Blues is in jeopardy, according to Ben Rumsby of The Telegraph.
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There are ‘major concerns’ about fixtures taking place next weekend due to the likelihood of police being redeployed en masse to London ahead of the Queen’s funeral.
The Guidance for the Period of National Mourning gave the leagues the discretion over whether or not fixtures would go ahead:
"The decision as to whether sporting fixtures continue to go ahead is at the discretion of organisers. Organisers may wish to consider using black armbands and observing a silence before matches are played."
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For now, there is no confirmation of the plan for next weekend’s fixtures. Potter will work with his team in the next few days before awaiting their schedule for the coming weeks.
Topics: Chelsea, Liverpool, Premier League, Football
Matthew Debono