British clubs told they CAN'T play God Save The King before matches

British football clubs are told they CAN’T play God Save The King before European matches this week as UEFA turns down requests – but some plan to ignore the ruling and honour Charles anyway

• A number of English and Scottish clubs will play in European matches this week
• But UEFA has denied requests that God Save the King is played before kick-off
• Rangers and Chelsea among clubs to make multiple pleas to governing body 
• But the Scottish club is planning to to defy the ban and sing anthem anyway
• Full coverage: Click here to see all our coverage of the Queen’s passing

British football clubs have been told they cannot play God Save The King before European matches this week – but some are planning to ignore the ruling.

A number of English and Scottish clubs are due to play in the European competitions over the coming days after Premier League fixtures were cancelled last weekend in the wake of the Queen’s death at Balmoral on Thursday.

Multiple pleas have been made to UEFA in recent days to allow the God Save the King anthem to be played at stadiums, but the governing body is understood to have batted away requests, MailPlus reports.

Chelsea and Rangers, both of which have strong links to the Royal Family, are said to be among the clubs that asked for permission ahead of their respective Champions League matches on Wednesday evening.

Chelsea’s mascots, the Chelsea Pensioners, are closely linked to the Royal Hospital in west London – founded by King Charled II in 1682.

Rangers, meanwhile, have long-established links and former manager Graeme Souness revealed this week that he had a portrait of the Queen placed in the home dressing room when he took the reins at Ibrox.

And the Scottish club are understood to be planning to defy the ban and will instead sing the national anthem following a period of silence tomorrow.

A minute of silence is observed for Queen Elizabeth II West Ham United v Steaua Bucharest following the Queen’s death last week

Other clubs may decide to follow suit, but they may face a potential fine by doing so.

UEFA has confirmed it has received multiple requests regarding the anthem, but said it wishes to ‘remain consistent across all UK venues’ and insists no anthems will be played other than the Champions League hymn.

It comes as English Football League clubs, who will also return to the pitch tonight, will play the national anthem ahead of their matches.

All football across the Football League and non-league system were cancelled across the UK this weekend.

Other sporting events, including England’s series-deciding third Test match against South Africa, went ahead as planned.

Players and supporters sang God Save the King prior to the start of the match, while also paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth. 

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