TheCable

The English Premier League (EPL) has postponed all its fixtures for the weekend in honour of Queen Elizabeth.

The league announced the postponement in a statement on its website on Friday.

The British monarch was pronounced dead on Thursday at the age of 96.

Her passing marks an end to a reign that lasted seven decades and made her the longest-serving monarch in Britain — since February 6, 1952.

The announcement of her death was met with tributes from world leaders and the sports world was not exempted.

Several sporting events held or billed to hold in the UK within the next few days were halted.

The EPL is the latest competition to suspend its games in homage to the late monarch.

“At a meeting this morning, Premier League clubs paid tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” the statement reads.

“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.’

“This is aligned with the approach that The FA and EFL will take with their competitions this weekend.

“Further updates regarding Premier League fixtures during the period of mourning will be provided in due course.”

Manchester City were initially scheduled to take on Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday while Graham Potter faces his first assignment as the manager of Chelsea in a London derby at Fulham.

However, the games will be shifted to another day to be communicated by the league shortly.