TWO amateur football clubs have been branded “despicable” by a sporting authority after it emerged they had defied a match ban following the Queen’s death.
The English Football Association banned games from taking place at any level last weekend as a mark of respect following the death of the monarch.
But the rule was defied by the amateur sides Sheffield International and Byron House, who ignored the ban for a kickabout on Saturday.
Sheffield International – who have now deleted their Twitter account following the incident – said on Friday, the day after the news of Elizabeth’s death was announced, that their match would go ahead as a friendly despite instructions from the local league.
They later added that someone had “snitched on us so now even the friendly is off”, Sky News reports.
Byron House appear to have arrived at Sheffield International’s ground on Saturday morning and the game went ahead under the guise of a training event.
The final score is not known.
The two teams are governed by the Sheffield and District Fair Play League, who condemned the sides in the strongest possible terms.
In a statement, the league said they “absolutely do not condone this disrespectful and despicable behaviour”.
The authority pledged to deal with both teams in the “strongest possible terms”.
Danny Taylor, chair of the league, added: “Queen Elizabeth II ruled, served and led with integrity and humility for more than seven decades.
"It is a terrible shame that these two teams could not emulate this even for a single Saturday, despite our clear instructions.
"We may or may not agree with the mass cancellation of football, but this was decided as a mark of respect and should therefore have been adhered to."
Byron House FC said they would not comment until it was known “what, if any, action the league are going to take”.
Sheffield International did not respond to a request for comment.
