Times like these

The minute’s silence at the Oval test match between England and South Africa this morning, followed by the playing of the national anthems, was one of the most moving things I have ever seen. The question as to whether the game should have gone ahead following the death of the Queen was answered very simply: yes it should. People expressed their collective grief, showed collective respect, stood as one at a time of national tragedy.

It is a shame the football authorities did not take the same approach, not least the cancellation of fixtures right down to children’s football. Wrongly in my view, football supporters seem to have a bad name and it was almost as if the FA were worried that something might happen, a rogue chant or song perhaps, that might tarnish the reputation of our national sport. I do not believe that would have happened. On the contrary, I believe that what happened at the Oval would have happened at every ground in the land.

Of course, it is difficult to decide when ‘normality’ resumes in times like these. We worry that everything could happen too quickly, that we might be seen as uncaring; that the time just not right. It was hard enough for me with this minor blog. Should I show my respects my a period of silence? In the end, I felt I had something to offer, some words that might resonate with others. Perhaps others were like me, wondering how to play this?

I think it is possible to resume to some form of normality and show respect at the same time. That’s what happened at the cricket today. There are no rules, though, because we are talking about feelings and emotions and they are often indefinable and impossible to control. In the end, you just try to do what’s right. More often than not, we get these things right. If you do things honestly and for the right reasons, there’s nothing else you can do.