The British government has urged the nation's sports clubs to call for an end to the riots that have rocked the country and send a message to promote community cohesion, according to the Daily Mail.
In a video conference on Wednesday, Downing Street representatives made the plea directly to the heads of soccer, rugby, cricket and other sports. They want to ensure that all planned matches go ahead as scheduled and to avoid disruption to the tournament caused by riots on the streets of England.
Despite the pressure put on police forces by the actions of far-right activists, teams in the English Football League (EFL, which is responsible for the Championship, League One and League Two competitions, among others) have been assured that the weekend's opening game is unlikely to be postponed.
Officials are closely monitoring developments and hope that the appeal for calm made by professional clubs to their fans will have a positive impact. Sports clubs are currently considering the need for increased security measures at matches. While the EFL supports the government's call for an end to the riots, they want clubs to try to avoid getting directly involved in political issues.
