Jordan defends Premier League decision to postpone matches after Neville wanted games on

Joe Williams
Simon Jordan speaks about the Premier League

Simon Jordan thinks the Premier League have made the correct decision to postpone as a mark of respect to Her Majesty The Queen after Gary Neville had hoped to see the matches go ahead.

Following the death of the Queen on Thursday, aged 96, the official Government guidance on the period of mourning appeared to give the go-ahead for sports events to take place this weekend, leaving the decision to the individual governing bodies.

But the Football Association announced on Friday that all professional matches in England would be called off out of respect for the Queen.

‘Amazing inspiration’ – Beckham, Kane and Williamson lead football’s tributes to the Queen

An FA statement read: “Her Majesty the Queen was a long-standing Patron of The Football Association and has left a lasting and indelible legacy on our national game.

“As a mark of respect, following the passing of Her Majesty the Queen, English football has united to postpone all football fixtures between 9-11 September.

“The FA can confirm that all football fixtures across the Barclays Women’s Super League, Barclays Women’s Championship, the Vitality Women’s FA Cup, and the Isuzu FA Trophy, will be postponed this weekend.”

Former Manchester United defender and current Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville had called for the matches to be played before the announcement later in the day.

But former Crystal Palace chairman Jordan thinks the FA and other footballing organisations came to the correct decision.

“I think it’s about right,” Jordan said on talkSPORT.

“In other areas of commerce, for example Selfridges have decided to close for today but will open again tomorrow, but I think sport has a very different dynamic.

“There is an element that you want society to go on and look forward. We have a new King coming and this is the natural order of events, but it is also a unique and unprecedented set of circumstances – we have lost our Queen of 70 years.

“I think it’s important that sport steps back, certainly for this weekend and certainly for the day of the funeral. I think that’s absolutely appropriate and sensible.

“Some people will want the distraction or want the games to go ahead… there will be people who have spent money on train fares and hotels, and I could say that they are only thinking about themselves, or perhaps it’s a fair point.

“But there are certain events and moments in time where you just have to stand back and nothing takes precedence, nothing becomes more important.

“So I think it’s absolutely right that the initiative from the government is ‘we’ll leave it with you, but we kind of expect a mature, sensible and reflective attitude’.

“Not everybody in the country supports the monarchy, but the bulk of people do and it means a lot to a lot of people.

“So while we saw the reaction from West Ham during the game where they sang God Save the Queen and there was enormous outpouring of emotion, I think it’s appropriate that the nation stands back from this moment and reflects without distractions.

“And we can live without it. I think this is a moment in time where you have to say, ‘no balls get kicked, no balls get bowled, no punches get thrown, and the nation steps back and reflects’.”

 

Manchester United Gary Neville

Related Articles