The Champions League anthem will not be played ahead of British teams’ home matches this week as a mark of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Uefa has confirmed all matches in the competition will be going ahead, despite Arsenal’s Europa League tie against PSV Eindhoven being postponed on Thursday. A number of weekend Premier League games have also been called off due to the large-scale policing operation surrounding the Queen’s funeral.
Liverpool, Chelsea, Rangers and Manchester City are all playing at home this matchweek, though Tottenham and Celtic will be unaffected by the change in protocol as Antonio Conte’s side travel to Sporting Lisbon and Ange Postecoglou’s men play Shakhtar Donetsk in Warsaw due to the invasion of Ukraine.
The anthem, officially titled “Champions League” is traditionally played moments before kick-off, was written by British composer Tony Britten in 1992, and is based on George Frideric Handel’s “Zadok the Priest” – in a strange quirk, that is the song played at the coronation of British monarchs and is expected to be sung when King Charles III is officially crowned.
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In turn, Uefa has said Rangers supporters will not be allowed to travel to Italy for the return fixture in the interests of “sporting integrity”.
Before kick-off, a minute’s silence will be held at the games, with players wearing black armbands.
In a statement, Liverpool said flags at Anfield had been lowered to half-mast “and will remain so throughout the full mourning period”.
“The club crests on all social media platforms have also changed to black and white, representing the colours of the mourning period,” Liverpool added. “LFC would like to thank supporters in advance of Tuesday’s fixture.”
Jurgen Klopp has insisted he expects Liverpool fans to respect the tributes, with the club’s supporters having booed the national anthem and Prince William at the FA Cup final.
Klopp pointed to the minute’s applause fans organised for Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo following the death of his son last season.
“I think it is the right thing to do but I don’t think our people need any kind of advice from me for showing respect,” Klopp said.
“There are plenty of examples where our people showed exactly the right respect. One which surprised me and I was really proud of that moment was last season when we played Manchester United around a very sad situation with Cristiano Ronaldo’s family. And that is what I expect. For me, it is clear that’s what we have to do.”
Klopp, who lost his mother Elisabeth last year and was unable to attend her funeral due to travel restrictions, added: “I am 55 years old and she is the only queen of England I ever knew. As far as I know, I don’t know her, but the things you can see she was a really warm, nice, loved lady and that is all that I need to know.
“Because of my personal experience not too long [ago]. [But] it is obviously not about what I think, but what people felt who are much closer to her. I respect their grief a lot and that is why I will show my respect tomorrow night with the minute’s silence if it goes through.”
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