IFA chief Nelson calls for unity in football family amid crisis
IRISH FA chief executive Patrick Nelson has called on the football family in Northern Ireland to pull together in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Nelson was speaking after being part of an emergency Uefa video conference which decided that the European Championship 2020 finals would be postponed by one year until 2021 due to the spread of Covid-19 around the continent and beyond.
Uefa also declared that all the Euro 2020 play-off games scheduled for later this month, including Northern Ireland’s trip to Bosnia & Herzegovina, were postponed with the hope they would take place in the June international window.
In relation to the future of Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill, the Belfast Telegraph understands there will be ongoing dialogue between him, the IFA and his club Stoke City.
After being appointed Stoke City boss in November, O’Neill agreed to take charge of Northern Ireland in the March playoffs with senior players openly declaring they wanted him to manage the side in the summer finals if qualification was secured.
O’Neill (right) is keeping a close eye on developments surrounding the Euros and will know there is no guarantee that the playoff in Bosnia will be played in June given the ever changing situation with Covid-19.
There is also no clarity on when Stoke will be back playing in the Championship leading to uncertainty about his dual role.
It is possible that O’Neill, who was determined to guide Northern Ireland to successive European Championships having inspired the team to the 2016 tournament, may not manage his country again.
It could all come down to a matter of if dates suit the three parties — O’Neill, Stoke and the IFA.
The decision to postpone Euro 2020 for a year was welcomed across the footballing world.
European football’s governing body came up with the decision at an emergency video conference involving Uefa’s 55 member associations, the board of the European Club Association and the European Leagues board with chief executive Nelson and president David Martin representing the IFA.
IN sharp contrast to the rest of the shutdown sporting world, the International Olympic Committee remain “fully committed” to delivering the Tokyo Games this summer and have pledged support to athletes whose qualification chances have been left uncertain by the postponement or cancellation of competitions due to the coronavirus.
The IOC are this week talking to key stakeholders about the status of the Games. Having met with sporting federations already, the IOC plan further talks with national Olympic committees, athletes’ representatives, the International Paralympic Committee and others.
But in a statement yesterday, they said: “The IOC remain fully committed to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and with more than four months to go before the Games there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage; and any speculation at this moment would be counter-productive.
“The IOC encourage all athletes to continue to prepare for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 as best they can.”
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this week said he had the support of G-7 nations to deliver the Games “as proof that the human race will conquer the new coronavirus”.
The IOC said they would continue to monitor the situation “24/7” in order to safeguard the health of all participants and the interests of athletes and of Olympic sport ahead of the Games, due to open on July 24.
Among the countless sporting events which have already been postponed or cancelled due to the outbreak are several Olympic qualifying events, creating significant uncertainty in the final months before the Games.