European-competing Premier League and women's teams, EFL clubs up and down the footballing pyramid and even those participating at a grassroots level have been impacted by the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The UK's longest reigning monarch died at the age of 96 last Thursday at Balmoral Castle, while Arsenal, Manchester United and West Ham United were preparing for continental action - the Gunners had already kicked off against FC Zurich before the news broke towards the end of the first half.
Man United and West Ham's fixtures went ahead as scheduled that evening, but football in the United Kingdom soon came to a grinding halt as a mark of respect for the Queen and the Royal Family.
The news of postponements did not sit well with fans, many of whom raised valid concerns over the already-packed fixture schedule as clubs brace themselves for an inaugural winter World Cup in Qatar, and organisers have quite the job on their hands.
While most teams will be back in action in European competition this week, Arsenal must wait a little bit longer to return to the field, as their Europa League Group A contest with PSV Eindhoven on Thursday was also called off amid security concerns arising from the Queen's imminent state funeral.
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Famous faces, the media and members of the general public will flock en masse to Westminster Abbey to give the Queen her final send-off, and the funeral will require policing on an unprecedented scale, which is bad news for games in the English capital.
Arsenal supposedly tried everything in their power to get the game to go ahead - including playing behind closed doors or travelling to the Philips Stadion - but the decision was ultimately made to postpone the contest due to a lack of available police officers.
The fact that Sunday's Premier League London derby against Brentford will be going ahead as scheduled will be music to the ears of the powers-that-be at Arsenal, who are also waiting to learn the fate of their top-flight game with Everton that fell victim to the raft of last weekend's postponements.
While that showdown can likely wait until after the World Cup and New Year, their continental battle with PSV is a more pressing matter, with the Europa League group stage due to finish on November 3 and the draw for the playoff round taking place a few days later on November 7.
As a result, UEFA are reportedly insisting that Arsenal find a date to play the game within the next seven weeks lest they risk the same fate as their North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who ultimately forfeited a Europa Conference League tie with Rennes after a COVID-19 outbreak.
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The upcoming international break is not doing Arsenal any favours either, but the Gunners do have a number of options for a rescheduled fixture with PSV, even if it means Mikel Arteta's playing resources will be stretched to the limit.
According to The Telegraph, the two most prominent ideas in the authorities' minds right now are switching the proposed Premier League clash with Manchester City on October 19 or the EFL Cup third-round tie with Brighton & Hove Albion in the week commencing November 7, although the latter would fall outside UEFA's desire to finish games on or before November 3.
Arsenal are already scheduled to take part in nine fixtures in October, with further Europa League games taking place on the 6th, 13th and 27th, and the non-European week is filled by that domestic clash with the English champions.
That game is scheduled to take place on a Wednesday, but the Gunners could potentially try to move it to Tuesday 18th October, which would only give them 48 hours' worth of rest in between that contest and their trip to Leeds United on the 16th.
Moving the Man City game to the Tuesday would allow PSV to travel to the Emirates on Thursday 20th, as Ruud van Nistelrooy's side do not have a fixture currently in the diary for that week.
The first round of the KNVB-Beker will take place between October 18 and 20, but that will not impact Arsenal or defending champions PSV, who are set to enter in the second round due to their involvement in European competition.
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PSV should therefore have no logistical problems in travelling to London that week, but Arsenal would then be required to play four times in the space of seven days on the 16th, 18th, 20th and 23rd of October. Teams playing twice in 48 hours is nothing new around the Christmas period, of course, and the Gunners may have little choice but to accept that proposal.
Alternatively, if UEFA are to allow Arsenal a little bit of leeway, the Gunners could liaise with the EFL to guarantee that their third-round EFL Cup clash with Brighton takes place on Tuesday November 8 rather than the Wednesday.
The North London club would then face another 48-hour turnaround before hosting PSV on Thursday November 10, but they are also scheduled to travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League two days later.
While fixtures are always subject to change in the Premier League, all teams are currently scheduled to kick off at 3.00pm on Saturday November 12, which marks the final round of fixtures before the World Cup.
Moving the Molineux clash to the Sunday could be a feasible option to allow Arsenal an extra day of rest following their tie with PSV, who are also due to be in action on November 12 against AZ Alkmaar at 8.00pm. However, that also depends on World Cup teams being content with some of their players arriving in Qatar a tad later than anticipated.
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In the unlikely scenario that UEFA permit Arsenal and PSV's clash to be played after the New Year, the Gunners' immediate fixture burden would be eased, and such an eventuality is believed to be under consideration.
Not until the week of February 16 will teams involved in the Europa League playoffs take to the field in the first leg of their ties, and the last-16 stage will then begin on March 9, which would give PSV and Arsenal ample time to renew hostilities in January.
The Gunners have no Thursday fixtures scheduled for the first month of 2023 at present, but they would ideally like to avoid playing in Europe before taking on Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday January 14 and Manchester United on January 21.
If the Premier League can avoid a fixture clash with the outstanding postponed matches, January 5 stands out as a possible date for the Europa League game to be played. The FA Cup third round - which Arsenal will enter in - kicks off a couple of days later, but the Gunners boss would be expected to make changes in abundance for that tie anyway.
Arsenal would also not be impacted if they reach the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup, which are set to be played on January 10 and 11, and PSV do not return to Eredivisie duties following the World Cup until January 7 - that game against Sparta Rotterdam could easily be pushed back 24 hours as well.
Tottenham will certainly have a thing or two to say if Arsenal are granted the luxury of completing the group stage in January, which would arguably not be within the spirit of fairness, so Arteta's players realistically ought to make this period of rest count before the Halloween horror show begins.
Ben Knapton
