UEFA to put Euros on ice until 2021
UEFA are expected to confirm that the European Championship will be postponed until 2021 following a series of video conferences today that will provide the first concrete plan for a resumption of elite football.
The likely postponement of Euro 2020 will have a knock-on effect for other competitions planned for next summer, with the finals of the Nations League moved until later in 2021 and the men’s Under-21 and women’s European Championship put back to 2022. Meanwhile, UEFA are determined that the Champions League and Europa League will be played to completion this season, even if it means streamlining both competitions.
With all 55 national associations, including the SFA, on video conference call, Sportsmail looks at some of the possible implications for Scottish football from today’s emergency meeting.
WHAT SOLUTIONS CAN UEFA PROVIDE FOR DOMESTIC ISSUES?
The SFA and SPFL may not admit it publicly but they will have been praying UEFA take a firm lead on how to sort out domestic league issues amid bitter internal turmoil.
Should Celtic be declared champions after 30 games of a 38-match season? Should Hearts go down, even though they have eight matches left to close a four-point gap on Hamilton? Should Raith, who lead Falkirk by a solitary point, claim the League One crown ahead of the Bairns?
Sources have told Sportsmail they hold out little hope of UEFA offering solutions or guidelines for such domestic matters today.
So the tough decisions will likely be left to the Scottish authorities, with Hearts confirming yesterday they will take legal action if relegation is forced upon them, while Rangers insist that final standings can only be confirmed when all 38 games are played by every team.
Meanwhile, a Hampden insider has told Sportsmail there is ‘zero chance’ of the current campaign being declared null and void.
As this newspaper revealed on March 6, there are ‘doomsday’ plans in place to crown Celtic and relegate Hearts.
It is understood the SPFL feel they are on strong legal ground and reckon that wrapping up the league now will allow them to allocate prize money to clubs quickly to prevent many going bust.
The remainder of the 2019-20 Scottish Cup also needs to be resolved. If it does resume, the outstanding semis between Hearts and Hibs and Celtic and Aberdeen, as well as the final, could be played as a curtain-raiser ahead of the new campaign.
Another possibility is no Scottish Cup replays when the competition takes place next season — and Betfred Cup group games being scrapped along with the winter break to free up space on the fixture calendar.
But the titles and relegation issues are where the main controversies lie.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE EURO 2020 PLAY-OFFS?
Scotland are due to face Israel in a Euro 2020 play-off semi-final at Hampden on March 26 but that will obviously be postponed today amid the ongoing crisis.
Norway have already confirmed they do not expect their semi-final against Serbia to take place — with the winners of that game set to meet Scotland or Israel in the play-off final.
It now remains to be seen when these matches can be played and where they can be fitted into the schedule.
WHAT ABOUT THE EURO 2020 FINALS TOURNAMENT AS A WHOLE?
Euro 2020 was due to take place from June 12 to July 12 at venues across the continent, including Hampden Park. However, the competition is expected to be postponed today.
With Italy the worst-hit country in Europe by coronavirus, the Italian Football Federation have already asked for it to be called off to give them time to complete the
Serie A season. Staging the Euro finals in December had been mooted but Euro 2020 now looks certain to be held in the summer of 2021.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE OUTSTANDING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE AND EUROPA LEAGUE TIES?
This week’s scheduled European games — including Rangers’ second-leg clash with Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16 of the Europa League — were all postponed last week.
The aim will be to play both tournaments to completion this season, even if it means streamlining both.
Proposals to switch all remaining games from the quarter-finals onwards to a one-off match will be discussed in the first conference call of today involving the clubs and European leagues chaired by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.
There will also be a plan to stage the semis and final of both competitions in one city over the course of five days later this year.
UEFA are prepared for the Champions League final to be held before the end of Europe’s domestic league seasons, which will require more time to be completed.
Of course, the unprecedented nature of the coronavirus outbreak, predicted to be at its peak in Europe in mid-June, means that all such proposals will remain shrouded in uncertainty.
WHAT ARE THE KNOCK-ON EFFECTS FOR SCOTTISH CLUBS IN EUROPE?
The Champions League and Europa League for season 2020-21 are likely to be truncated.
Amid fears over a long-term shutdown of Scottish domestic football, the SFA are expected to appeal to UEFA today to allow Premiership clubs to skip the summer qualifying process and be granted direct entry into the group stages of the Champions League and Europa League.