EURO FINALS ‘IN AUGUST’

UEFA want to complete the Champions League in August – and are considering a mini four-team tournament.

It comes after a video conference call with the 55 national associations to discuss contingency plans due to the coronavirus crisis.

They have pushed for all domestic seasons to be finished by August 3, meaning games must be restarted in June, with UEFA insisting that no dates are set in stone.

UEFA’s working group put together a potential calendar that was discussed on the conference call – including FA chief executive Mark Bullingham – to finish all of Europe’s leagues.

The Champions League still has two last-16 ties and the quarter-finals to squeeze in, the Europa League is in a similar position and UEFA then want to stage their showpiece finals after the domestic leagues are finished.

That could see a mini four-team tournament take place, with the semi-finals and finals in Istanbul and Gdansk for the Champions League and Europa League.

It is understood UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin (above) is determined the matches go ahead with fans – and is opposed to having the finals behind closed doors.

The Dutch FA put out a statement detailing the calendar possibilities, but stressed that “health was paramount”, while the Spanish FA also said they expect football to be played across July and August.

The Danish FA reported that the women’s Euros in 2021 – to be in England – will be put back to 2022.