The Football Association will ignore a plea from the Wigan Athletic chairman, Dave Whelan, for a minute's silence to be held in memory of Lady Thatcher ahead of their FA Cup semi-final against Millwall on Saturday.
Whelan said that Thatcher, who died on Monday at the age of 87, was "owed" a minute's silence at Wembley ahead of the FA Cup semi-finals and also said he would be in favour of players wearing black armbands out of respect.
The Premier League and the Football League have said that they will not be requiring clubs to hold a minute's silence, though it remains possible that individual sides could request one. It is understood that the FA has no plans to hold a minute's silence ahead of either of this weekend's FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley.
"We owe Mrs Thatcher a minute's silence," said Whelan. "It is not my decision, it is for the FA to decide, but I would be in favour of wearing an armband out of respect to Mrs Thatcher. We have to say thank you very much for the services the former PM has given us."
He was backed by his Reading counterpart, Sir John Madejski, who said: "We have got to appreciate that Margaret Thatcher was a world leader who did so much for this country. So much that she deserves a minute's silence."
It has been argued that Thatcher did not have any personal connection to football but Whelan said that the game should pay tribute to her regardless. "Football was in a bad way when she was prime minister, we saw all the changes in her time and they should pay tribute to that," he told the BBC.
There was no minute's silence before the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on Monday night but Whelan insisted he could not understand why parts of the population, especially in the north, did not want to mark her death and said Manchester United's decision was "very disrespectful".
"I think that's wrong. The politicians, you get them on the left or on the right, when they are PM, they are PM. They are acting for our country, representing our country with politics on one side. Whoever it is, whatever political views they have, I would always support the PM. To have no recognition of Mrs Thatcher last night is not right and very disrespectful."
Two former Conservative sports ministers paid effusive tribute to Thatcher. Lord Moynihan, also the former chairman of the BOA, said she was "the finest captain of Team GB" and Richard Tracey said the decision not to hold a minute's silence was "rather cheap". No county cricket teams have announced plans to mark Thatcher's death when the season begins on Wednesday but the England and Wales Cricket Board has advised them to fly flags at half mast next week, on the day of her funeral.
"Given that it will be a 'ceremonial funeral' and having taken advice from government, it is recommended that the appropriate protocol would be for first-class counties to fly flags within their venues at half-mast on the day of the funeral itself, rather than holding a minute's silence," said an ECB spokesman.
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