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English Football Ends Game-Wide Tributes for Unrelated Global Events

The new joint working group centralizes decisions to prevent inconsistent gestures.

Overview

  • The FA, Premier League and EFL agreed that leagues will no longer hold minutes of silence for global or national events without a strong football connection.
  • The FA confirmed Wembley's arch will be lit only for football or entertainment events, with event promoters retaining some control during non-football uses of the stadium.
  • Individual clubs retain discretion to respond locally, shown by tributes from Manchester United, Manchester City, Bolton and Salford after a Manchester synagogue knife attack that were not replicated across the leagues.
  • The World Events Working Group has also advised on stadium flags and banners, with some clubs now restricting flags of countries involved in active conflicts.
  • Player-led actions such as taking a knee and traditional Remembrance commemorations continue outside the protocol, and government guidance would apply for events of national significance such as the death of a monarch.