“I think it is the right thing to do.”
Jurgen Klopp says he will leave any planned tributes and marks of respect towards the late Queen Elizabeth II to the footballing authorities, and Liverpool FC, ahead of a Champions League encounter with Ajax Amsterdam.
The Liverpool boss was asked about the passing of the monarch, last Thursday, last weekend’s cancelled games, and whether he believed his club’s supporters would respect and planned tributes of periods of silence to mark the queen’s passing. He told reporters:
“I think it is the right thing to do, but I don’t think our people need any kind of advice from me for showing respect.
“There are plenty of examples where people showed exactly the right respect; one which surprised me and I was really proud of that moment was last season when we played Manchester United around a very sad situation with Cristiano Ronaldo’s family [fans paid their respects to the footballer, following the death of his newborn son].
“And that is what I expect. For me, it is clear that’s what we have to do. That’s it.”
Liverpool supporters have booed the national anthem [God Save the Queen, at the time] at recent cup finals at this season’s Community Shield, but more as a form of protest against the government.
The German confirmed that he would fully respect any planned period of silence, if it was held, on Tuesday, at Anfield. “It is obviously not about what I think but what people felt who are much closer to her,” he said, “and I respect their grief a lot and that is why I will show my respect tomorrow night with the minute’s silence if it goes through.”
Chelsea vs Liverpool ‘highly likely’ to be postponed
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s Premier League meeting with Liverpool is ‘highly likely’ to be postponed this weekend ahead of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
The meeting between the two clubs is currently scheduled to take place at 4.30 on Sunday – the day before the funeral is scheduled to be held at Westminster Abbey.
According to The Mirror, the game is now unlikely to take place on Sunday due to a lack of available police resources.
On Monday morning meetings were held by police officials with representatives of football clubs and the sport’s governing bodies. Although the plan is for as many fixtures to take place as planned, it seems likely that a lack of policing will inevitably force some of the games to be postponed.
Last weekend, football’s governance decided to postpone all matches across the country – from the Premier League to grassroots – as a show of respect for the Queen’s passing.
The EFL have since confirmed it intends to resume with its full schedule of midweek fixtures this week, with several European games also expected to take place.
Rangers have, however, moved their Champions League game with Napoli to Wednesday night over concerns there would not be enough police available at and around Ibrox.
The Queen’s coffin is currently in Edinburgh after being moved from her residence at Balmoral and is expected to be flown to London on Tuesday. Napoli supporters are also to be prevented from attending the game in a bid to minimise police resources.
