Two Amateur Clubs Under Investigation For Playing A Friendly Match After The Queen’s Death

Two amateur football clubs are being investigated for holding a friendly match over the weekend following the Queen’s passing even though all football was suspended as a mark of respect.

According to Mail Online, a match between the Sheffield & District Fair Play League teams Byron House and Sheffield International FC was scheduled on Saturday, September 10.

However, the FA decided that no football-related event should be held in honour of Her Majesty, who passed away last Thursday, and ordered the cancellation of the game as well as all other competitive and friendly matches in England.

Despite the cancellation, Sheffield International FC announced on Twitter that they still planned to play a friendly match on Friday, which they later clarified would actually be a “training session.”

The league has now said that it is looking into the two clubs’ “despicable” behaviour and has threatened to deal with them “in the strongest possible terms.”

A statement read: “It has been brought to our attention that, despite our clearly informing all clubs that football matches this weekend should be cancelled as a mark of respect for the passing of Her Majesty the Queen, two teams within our League have chosen to play a friendly match anyway.

“This is after we specifically and separately confirmed friendly matches could not be played.

“The SDFPL Management Team would like to put on record that we absolutely do not condone this disrespectful and despicable behaviour.

“There will be an investigation into this matter, in conjunction with the Sheffield & Hallamshire County FA, and these two teams will be dealt with in the strongest possible terms.

“Our league has honesty, integrity, and fair play as cornerstones, and we will not accept such behaviour from within our ranks.

“We would like to thank our 37 other clubs that followed the instructions and showed their respects with honour.’

Danny Taylor, chairman of the league, added: “Queen Elizabeth II ruled, served and led with integrity and humility for more than seven decades.

“It is a terrible shame that these two teams could not emulate this even for a single Saturday, despite our clear instructions.

“We may or may not agree with the mass cancellation of football, but this was decided as a mark of respect and should therefore have been adhered to.

“This sort of behaviour is disrespectful, unacceptable and flies in the face of the core values of our League. It will not be tolerated.”