Arsenal’s Europa League contest against PSV Eindhoven on Thursday has been cancelled due to “severe limitations on police resources” thanks to preparations for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
The match at the Emirates Stadium in north London was set to be played on Thursday evening but with the Queen’s funeral due to take place on Monday, September 19, UEFA confirmed that police resources would not stretch to covering the match.
A UEFA statement read: “UEFA today announced that the UEFA Europa League tie between Arsenal FC and PSV Eindhoven, originally to be played on Thursday 15 September, has been postponed with a new date to be communicated in due course.
“This is due to the severe limitations on police resources and organisational issues related to the ongoing events surrounding the national mourning for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.”
The news had initially been published by PSV in a statement on their website before being confirmed by UEFA a few minutes later.
The Dutch club’s statement also confirmed that no future date had yet been agreed for the match to be rescheduled, stating: “It is not yet known when the Europa League match will be made up. More information about this will follow.”
Arsenal also confirmed the news on their club website, saying: “Our UEFA Europa League home fixture against PSV Eindhoven, scheduled for Thursday 15 September, has been postponed.
“The postponement follows liaison between UEFA, the Metropolitan Police and ourselves, after the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
“We are working with the authorities to reschedule the match and any tickets and/or hospitality packages purchased for this fixture will be valid for the rescheduled date. Further updates, including information about forthcoming matches, will be shared on arsenal.com.”
With the mid-season Qatar World Cup taking place in November and December, the fixture list this season is already hugely condensed and Arsenal do not have a midweek slot free until January 2023.
However, the Europa League group stage is scheduled to be completed ahead of the World Cup, with the final round of pool fixtures set for November 3.
The Gunners’ first Europa League game of the season came on the day of the Queen’s death, as the announcement was made during their clash with FC Zurich.
A minute’s silence was held at half-time and the players wore black armbands in the second half of a contest that the English side won 2-1 thanks to goals by Marquinhos and Eddie Nketiah.
