Bayern Munich fans protest delays caused by Queen Elizabeth II's death

As tributes pour in for Queen Elizabeth II from across the globe, some are unhappy about the disruptions that were caused by her death on Thursday, September 8. On Tuesday evening, Bayern Munich fans made their feelings clear by unveiling a banner in protest of the delays and postponements of football matches across Europe.

The Bundesliga giants hosted FC Barcelona in their opening match of this season's UEFA Champions League competition. The atmosphere at the Allianz Arena was electric as the home side welcomed the Catalan visitors. However, on one end of the pitch, a set of banners were unfurled across the crowd which read: "Last minute delays and bans because of a royal's death?! Respect fans!"

While most of the Champions League matches this week and last week's UEFA Europa League and Conference League matches suffered minimal interruptions, some matches suffered significant delays. Football came to a standstill in England over the weekend, and more matches are set to be postponed due to a lack of security personnel available this week.

Rangers' Tuesday night Champions League match against Napoli at Ibrox had to be rescheduled for Wednesday. On Thursday, Arsenal was set to host PSV Eindhoven in their Europa League clash, but that match has been postponed because of the lack of security.

Her Majesty's coffin returned to London on Tuesday where she will lie in state until her funeral on September 19. Millions of people are expected to come to pay their respects, meaning the city's security resources will be fully stretched for the coming week.

While the postponements are an inconvenience for the players and staff, travelling fans are the ones that are most affected. Some booked and paid for travel arrangements and accommodations way in advance, only to find out that the matches they plan to see have been rescheduled.

This is the biggest issue that the Bayern Munich fans are protesting against. While their own match went ahead as scheduled, they have taken it upon themselves to protest against the fact that the Rangers' tie against Napoli will now be played with no away fans for both legs in Glasgow and Naples.

Bayern Munich officials have not made an official statement about the protest, and it remains to be seen if UEFA will take any form of action in response. Meanwhile, the action on the pitch went ahead, with Julian Nagelsmann's side recording a 2-0 victory over the Blaugrana. Bayern have maintained their dominance over the Catalan giants despite the fact that their top scorer, Robert Lewandowski, switched sides this summer.