Gary Lineker has praised England's cricket team for their moving tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at the Oval - and admitted that it is a "real shame" that football will not be paying their own respects this weekend.
The Premier League and the FA decided on Friday that all of this weekend's fixtures would be postponed as a mark of respect for The Queen, who sadly passed away on Thursday at the age of 96.
In a statement released on Friday, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters 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.”
Despite football's decision to shut down as the country enters a period of mourning, other sports, including rugby and cricket, have decided to play on this weekend. And England's cricket team was lauded for the moving tribute they paid to The Queen ahead of Saturday's Test Match against South Africa at The Oval.
Players came out of the dressing rooms to a military guard of honour before undertaking two minutes' silence. Both teams then sang their respective national anthems, which included a rousing rendition of 'God Save The King' from the home crowd. Players from both sides will wear black armbands for the remaining three days of the Test match.
And Lineker, who paid tribute to the scenes at The Oval on Twitter, shared his own disappointment that football would not be able to replicate that those emotional scenes. He tweeted: "Given the wonderful and moving scenes at The Oval, it feels a real shame that football is not taking place this weekend, therefore missing the opportunity to pay its respects."
The DCMS had confirmed earlier on Friday that individual sports were free to use their own discretion when deciding whether or not they should proceed with events that were scheduled to take place across the weekend.
Although Arsenal, Manchester United and West Ham fulfilled Europa League fixtures within hours of The Queen's passing, events that were due to place across football, cricket and horse racing on Friday were all cancelled shortly after news of her death was announced.
Along with the Test Match at The Oval, rugby union fixtures will be played across Saturday, while horse racing is set to resume on Sunday.
This weekend, the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror celebrate the life of Her Majesty the Queen with a commemorative special filled with all the key moments from Britain’s longest reigning monarch. Be sure to pick up your copy of the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror to get both pull-outs.
