Premier League ‘at risk of further delay next weekend amid fear of clashing with Queen’s funeral’

Premier League postponements are at risk of extending into next weekend, with clubs unlikely to agree on where fixtures should be played amid concerns over holding matches in London, according to reports.

The Premier League decided to shutdown this weekend as a mark of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday. 

And now, it is believed that next week’s fixtures in the capital are also under threat due to safety fears, with police officers set to be redeployed as a result of the Queen’s state funeral on Monday September 19.

Matches in London are under threat as police prepare for Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral 

As matches outside of the capital are likely to go ahead unaffected, a proposal has been reportedly made to reverse the fixtures for London-based teams, so that they would instead play away from home next weekend rather than at their own stadiums.

According to The Athletic, the likelihood of clubs agreeing to this proposal is very slim, especially amongst those who would now need to host a new home game at such short notice.

The plan would also give the new home teams less than a week to recruit staff and sell tickets to both sets of supporters.

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With little time to find another solution, it is becoming increasingly likely that matches staged in the capital next weekend are postponed while the remainder return. 

Therefore, Tottenham’s clash with Leicester, Brentford’s match against Arsenal and Liverpool’s visit to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea are the fixtures most in jeopardy next weekend.

Further postponements could cause an unprecedented fixture pile-up at some point next year, with the remainder of the 2022 calendar already jammed-packed to accommodate the first ever winter World Cup in Qatar, starting in November.