Riots have taken place across the UK over the past week
Police resources are currently stretched across the UK
The UK is currently suffering from its worst outbreak of civil violence in more than a decade following the riots which have taken place across a host of cities and towns over the past week.
Police have made more than 400 arrests since far-right groups have taken to the streets following the killing of three young girls in Southport last Monday.
Scores of police have been injured, with the disturbances beginning in Southport less than 48 hours after the tragic death of the three girls, before the clashes spread across the country.
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Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he has created a ‘standing army’ of specialist police offers to deal with the rioting and with police resources understandably stretched, football fans at a number of clubs have asked the question of whether or not this will impact the opening weekend of the EFL season.
The Championship, League One and League Two are among the competitions kicking off this weekend for the start of the 2024/25 season, but as yet there has been no official word that any matches are at risk of postponement.
The first scheduled match of the weekend is Sheffield United’s trip to Preston North End on Friday evening.
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While fans will be keeping an eye on any official announcements and developments over the next few days as the government looks to quell the riots, there is precedent for football matches being postponed in the face of civil unrest.
The London riots in 2011 saw matches postponed
The 2011 riots which began in Tottenham Hale before spreading across London and into other towns and cities in England saw a handful of matches postponed.
Five League Cup games were called off, due to them being due to be played in areas near some of the worst disturbances, while an England friendly against the Netherlands due to be played at Wembley was cancelled.
Tottenham also saw their opening game of the 2011/12 season against Everton postponed, as was a League Two clash between Cheltenham Town and Swindon Town, as police forces were too stretched to provide the required resources.
A lack of police numbers also saw two Premier League matches postponed in September 2022, as Manchester United vs Leeds United and Chelsea vs Liverpool were unable to be played due to the security operation in place for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.
