Governing Bodies
All soccer games in England postponed to mourn Queen, cricket and rugby go ahead
All soccer fixtures in England between Sept. 9-11 were postponed by the country’s Football Association (FA) on Friday as a mark of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth but cricket and rugby matches will go ahead as planned this weekend.
Soccer’s top flight Premier League and the English Football League (EFL) had already announced they were postponing their next round of fixtures.
The queen, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, died peacefully at her home in Scotland on Thursday aged 96.
“As a mark of respect, following the passing of Her Majesty the Queen, English football has united to postpone all football fixtures between 9-11 September,” the FA said in a statement.
“The FA can confirm that all football fixtures across the Barclays Women’s Super League, Barclays Women’s Championship, the Vitality Women’s FA Cup, and the Isuzu FA Trophy, will be postponed this weekend.”
Matches across the lower tiers of the football pyramid and grassroots football were also postponed, the FA added.
he Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) had earlier provided guidance saying there was “no obligation to cancel or postpone events and sporting fixtures, or close entertainment venues during the National Mourning period”.
The Premier League said a decision on postponing the fixtures was made in a meeting on Friday.
“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,” it said.
The EFL said all its fixtures from Sept. 9-10 will be postponed.
Earlier on Friday, all soccer fixtures in Northern Ireland this weekend were postponed. read more
The Football Association of Wales said it had postponed fixtures from Sept. 9-12 at all levels of the game while professional matches in Scottish football were also cancelled.
“The passing of the Queen, a constant in our lives for 70 years, is a profound and momentous occasion,” said Neil Doncaster, Chief Executive of the Scottish Professional Football League.
“It is therefore appropriate that professional football marks this event with all possible solemnity.”
CRICKET, RUGBY GO AHEAD
England’s cricket board (ECB) said the men’s test match between England and South Africa will resume at The Oval on Saturday after Friday’s day two was suspended. read more
The first day had been washed out without a ball being bowled. The ECB is also exploring the possibility of extending the match to Tuesday to make up for losing day two.
Saturday’s women’s Twenty20 international between England and India will also go ahead in Durham.
England’s Rugby Football Union (RFU) said matches and other rugby activities scheduled for the weekend would go ahead so people could come together and mourn.
“The overwhelming opinions shared so far within the game, are that teams and supporters want to come together to honour Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to be united in our grief as we express sorrow at her passing,” the RFU said.
Premiership Rugby postponed two season-opening matches scheduled for Friday — Bristol Bears v Bath Rugby and Sale Sharks v Northampton Saints — but said its other fixtures on Saturday and Sunday would go ahead as planned.
“Prior to the start of each match, a one-minute silent tribute will take place. All players and coaches will be invited to wear black armbands,” they said.
But the Welsh Rugby Union suspended all senior matches in Wales scheduled to take place between Sept. 9-11. Junior matches will go ahead, however, with clubs requested to observe two minutes’ silence before all matches.
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) suspended all events for two days and said they would resume on Sunday.
“However, the fixture scheduled for Musselburgh racecourse on Sunday will be cancelled as a mark of respect for the fact that the Queen’s body will be lying in rest in Edinburgh,” it added.
The British Boxing Board of Control postponed all its tournaments this weekend, which means Savannah Marshall’s world middleweight title fight with Claressa Shields will not take place.
Sunday’s Great North Run, the world’s biggest half marathon with 60,000 entrants, will go ahead as planned, organisers said.
“The thousands of runners taking part are expected to raise an estimated 25 million pounds ($28.99 million) in much needed charitable donations, a fitting tribute to the Queen, who lived her life in the service of our country and its people,” they said.
-Reuters
World football governing body, FIFA, today clocks its 122nd anniversary, celebrating more than a century of overseeing and expanding the global game.
Founded on May 21, 1904, in Paris, France, FIFA began with just seven member associations — France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
From that modest beginning, the organisation has grown into the most influential sports governing body in the world, with 211 member associations spread across all continents.
Over the decades, FIFA has transformed football into a truly global phenomenon through competitions such as the FIFA World Cup, Women’s World Cup, Club World Cup, youth tournaments, and developmental programmes aimed at growing the game worldwide.
The organisation has also witnessed remarkable milestones, including the expansion of the men’s World Cup from 13 teams in 1930 to 48 teams beginning from the 2026 edition to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
FIFA’s journey has equally reflected football’s growing influence beyond sport, with the game becoming a major tool for diplomacy, social inclusion, youth empowerment, and economic development across the world.
As FIFA celebrates 122 years of existence, attention is now focused on the future of the game, technological innovations, expanded competitions, women’s football growth, and the continued globalisation of football.
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UEFA has issued a lifetime ban to Petr Vlachovsky, a Czech women’s soccer coach who secretly filmed his players, the governing body announced on Tuesday.
Czech media reported that the coach was convicted in May 2025 and initially received a suspended one-year prison sentence and a five-year domestic coaching ban for filming FC Slovacko’s players in changing rooms, the youngest of whom was 17.
In a statement, UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) said it had decided to ban Vlachovsky “from exercising any football-related activity for life” following the appointment of an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to investigate allegations of potential misconduct.
“The CEDB further decided to request FIFA to extend the abovementioned ban on a worldwide level and to order the Football Association of the Czech Republic to revoke Mr Petr Vlachovsky’s coaching licence,” the statement added.
FC Slovacko did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Football players’ union FIFPRO welcomed the ban as well as UEFA’s request for world soccer governing body FIFA to impose an international ban on Vlachovsky.
“This outcome sends a strong and necessary message that abusive and inappropriate behaviour has no place in football and that safeguarding the well-being of players must remain a priority at every level of the game,” FIFPRO added in a statement.
Vlachovsky had also previously served as coach of the Czech women’s Under-19s team.
RELATED STORY: https://sportsvillagesquare.com/2026/04/08/outrage-as-male-coach-who-secretly-filmed-women-players-still-free-to-work-in-football/
-Reuters
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Southampton have been kicked out of the Championship playoff final after being found guilty of spying on semi-final opponents Middlesbrough, the English Football League said on Tuesday.
Middlesbrough, who lost 2-1 to Southampton on aggregate in the semi, have been reinstated and will face Hull City on Saturday in what is dubbed the world’s richest soccer match.
Promotion to the Premier League, even with an immediate relegation, is estimated to be worth in the region of 200 million pounds ($268.10 million) over three seasons.
Southampton, who admitted the charges, were also found guilty of filming training sessions involving Oxford United in December and Ipswich Town in April during the regular season.
They have also been deducted four points from the start of next season in England’s second tier.
“An Independent Disciplinary Commission has today expelled Southampton from the Championship play-offs after the club admitted multiple breaches of EFL regulations related to the unauthorised filming of other clubs’ training,” the EFL said.
“Southampton admitted breaches of Regulations requiring Clubs to act with the utmost good faith and prohibiting the observation of another Club’s training session within 72 hours of a scheduled match.
“The effect of today’s order is that Middlesbrough are reinstated into the 2026 play-offs and will proceed to the play-off final against Hull City. The final remains scheduled for Saturday 23 May, with the kick-off time to be confirmed.”
The EFL confirmed that Southampton could appeal against the decision and that “parties are working to try and resolve any appeal on Wednesday 20 May.
“Subject to the outcome, it could result in a further change to Saturday’s fixture,” the statement said.
‘BORO CALLED FOR SOUTHAMPTON EXPULSION
Middlesbrough had called for Southampton’s expulsion after having a training session at their Rockliffe Park site filmed 48 hours ahead of the first leg of their playoff semi-final with Southampton which ended 0-0.
The north-east club said they welcomed the decision.
“We believe this sends out a clear message for the future of our game regarding sporting integrity and conduct,” the north Middlesbrough said in a statement.
“As a club, we are now focused on our game against Hull City at Wembley on Saturday.”
Southampton were relegated from the Premier League last season and were struggling in the early part of this campaign until a storming finish in which they went unbeaten in 19 league games to finish fourth and enter the playoffs.
The south-coast club are the first to fall foul of the Football League’s regulation 127 — brought in after Leeds United were found guilty of spying on Derby County seven years ago, an offence for which they were fined 200,000 pounds.
-Reuters
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