So will the football be off this weekend?

[accies1874]

No Sport but we all still have to go to work 
 
#Respect 

I mean, it probably is actually what she would've wanted

[Frank Grimes]

8. Sporting Events

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 beforematches are played.

[Frank Grimes]

BT Sport not having any half-time punditry for the Man United match.
 

Or adverts 

A completely normal island we live on 

[HibeeJibee]

Bit of historical and practical context.

Contrary to what you're seeing online there is actually no protocol saying football games had to be postponed tonight, or between now and the funeral - former being a Thursday proved moot anyway, plus Hearts were already underway; latter will presumably be Saturday 17th or Monday 19th. (If there is such a protocol: its very existence let alone its contents have never been made known to those who would directly implement it).

King George V died on the morning of Wednesday 6th February - and his funeral was on Friday 15th February. There were no games due on the Friday of the funeral, and I'm sure it would have been tacitly understood that none should have been scheduled. However games were played the afternoon he died (which was announced at 11:15am), the following weekend, plus during the 2 adjacent midweeks. Only actual intervention was that all games in Greater London were cancelled during the 4 weekdays preceding the funeral. That aside the only requirements on football were:

(1) there was to be a minutes silence immediately before kickoff
(2) where a band or loudspeaker system was available, that silence was to be preceded by "Abide with Me", and followed by "God Save the Queen"
(3) players were to wear black armbands

Notice of these arrangements was to be placed in the local press, and printed in the match programme where available.


Nevertheless my expectation this time around is that you will see cancellations. I think the question is simply on what scale and for how long (which may depend in part whether the funeral is a week on Saturday or not until start of the following week). This is 2022 not 1952... whether you see it as positive or negative we live in an age less stoic, sober and self-controlled - more emotional, sentimental and at times even considered maudlin. Frankly playing on would feel odd to me and I think the fact everybody expects or fears cancellations (depending how they feel about the prospect) tells its own story. 

Death of Diana Princess of Wales is often seen as a watershed of how the British media and people reacted to this type of event... on that occasion the couple of TV games on the Sunday she died were cancelled, as in the end was all football the day of her funeral the Saturday immediately after. (There was little due in intervening midweek, as it was an international break, which in those days were Sat-Wed with a blank midweek beforehand). This was not required by protocol or government: indeed following their exact advice ultimately got the SFA into a world of bother over Scotland v Belarus. It was compelled by press and public opinion.

I'm pretty sure the only first-class matches played in Scotland between her death on the Sunday morning and funeral the following Saturday were Challenge Cup QFs, shifted midweek.

There's also the fact that playing on would probably bring enormous criticism down on the sector of society involved, while some leagues stopping and some not would bring mass opprobrium down upon those who didn't.

Edited September 11, 2022 by HibeeJibee

[Archie McSquackle]

No Sport but we all still have to go to work 
 
#Respect 

I won't be surprised if the government announces a period of mourning so you could well get time off work, particularly if you are a public employee or work for a large company that doesn't want a PR disaster.

[Sergeant Wilson]

1 minute ago, HibeeJibee said:

Bit of historical and practical context.

plus Hearts were already underway; 

Aye, but at least  they chucked it at half time.

[HibeeJibee]

1 hour ago, O_Kahn said:

was put back 24 hours to avoid clash with funeral, Jim Farry (I think) made a huge arse of the whole affair.

You can read the timeline of the debacle here:

'Please call the game off' - seven days that shook Scottish football (scottishsporthistory.com)

 

1 hour ago, Lionsof67 said:

and if two weeks worth of matches are postponed when exactly are we supposed to fit them back into the schedule with this ridiculous winter world cup.

Myth: this season there is actually more flexibility in the schedule than usual.

True the Qatar WC uses 9 dates but 13 more have been freed-up (no Oct or Nov international windows, no winter break, season ends 1 week later than usual). Plus no Scottish Cup replays.

Indeed after the New Year games there is only a single Scottish Premiership midweek round the whole rest of the season.

[Sortmeout]

Celtic fans must be struggling tonight, the biggest grief merchants in Scotland not being able to join the other grief merchants all over the UK as they have to pretend they don’t like the Queen just because.

[deadasdillinger]

[Alert Mongoose]

I see all the horse race meetings have been cancelled tomorrow. They better not cancel the football though.

Edited September 8, 2022 by Alert Mongoose

[PossilYM]

13 minutes ago, Sortmeout said:

Celtic fans must be struggling tonight, the biggest grief merchants in Scotland not being able to join the other grief merchants all over the UK as they have to pretend they don’t like the Queen just because.

Plenty of other folks that wouldn't see Celtic in their road couldn't give a toss about monarchy either.

[tamthebam]

30 minutes ago, Archie McSquackle said:

49 minutes ago, Frank Grimes said:

No Sport but we all still have to go to work 
 
#Respect 

I won't be surprised if the government announces a period of mourning so you could well get time off work, particularly if you are a public employee or work for a large company that doesn't want a PR disaster.

I'm a "servant of the Crown" and nothing has been said about days off 

[kingjoey]

1 hour ago, Dirty Sanchez said:

I believe there was no league football the weekend of Diana's funeral because it was an international week, and Scotland played their game against Belarus at Pittodrie anyway, despite some conversation about postponing it.

I was there. 

[Sergeant Wilson]

1 minute ago, tamthebam said:

I'm a "servant of the Crown" and nothing has been said about days off 

It'll be getting raised first  thing tomorrow.

[Trackdaybob]

36 minutes ago, Frank Grimes said:

BT Sport not having any half-time punditry for the Man United match.
 

Or adverts 

A completely normal island we live on 

An improvement I'd say. 

[DC92]

Let's fucking hope so.

[kingjoey]

1 hour ago, Suspect Device said:

All fans should make their opinion known to their clubs and the SFA.

 

Whichever side you are on, it should be what the fans want, not what the clubs/authorities want. 

 

Did they ask the fans if we wanted the VAR brought in?

[Ignoramus]

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/queens-passing-spark-spfl-shutdown-27945498 

Record sounding pretty confident that it’s a shutdown this weekend.

[Clown Job]

If you believe the games will go ahead I refer you to the outcry over the international team not being allowed to wear a poppy a few years ago 

[Jinky67]

Confirmation games are postponed in the EPL, we will likely follow suit.