UEFA had earlier in a statement, confirmed the Champions League anthem will not be played in England or Scotland as a mark of respect for the Queen
By Kehinde Okeowo
UEFA has denied requests by two Premier League sides, Chelsea and Manchester City and Scottish giant, Rangers to play the national anthem before their Champions League fixtures on Wednesday evening.
All three British clubs had asked the European governing body if they could play ‘God Save the King’, the British anthem, in honour of the late
English monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who recently passed away.
But UEFA rejected the proposal, saying it wants to retain the decision to maintain a “subdued atmosphere” inside stadiums.
ALSO READ: Muller reveals what Mane told him about Lewandowski
The football body had earlier in a statement, confirmed the Champions League anthem will not be played in England or Scotland as a mark of respect for the Queen.
“There will be no anthems played – this also includes the UEFA Champions League anthem – on the basis of maintaining a consistent pre-match ceremony with a subdued atmosphere and without any celebratory activities across all UK venues to show respect as we did last Thursday,” a statement read.
Manchester City will host Bundesliga side, Borussia Dortmund, at the Etihad Stadium in round two of the Champions League group stages matches.
Chelsea will welcome FC Salzburg to Stamford Bridge, while Rangers will host Serie A club, Napoli, at the Ibrox Stadium.