European tourney could go to 2021
UEFA assessing options for flagship national teams competition
UEFA is nearing a decision to postpone the European Championship by a year to 2021 as the continent grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The governing body is assessing options over what to do with its flagship national teams’ competition. A final decision will come when the UEFA executive committee meets on Tuesday after talks with clubs and leagues. But the person said delaying Euro 2020 by a year is the main option now being explored at UEFA, which had been insisting publicly up to this week that the 24-team tournament would go ahead as planned.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss talks about the sport’s response to the spread of COVID-19 that was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on Wednesday.
This was already shaping up to the be the most challenging Euros ever staged by UEFA because 12 stadiums in 12 different nations were being used, starting in Rome and ending with the final at Wembley. Postponing the European Championship provides potential space in the calendar for UEFA club competitions and domestic leagues to complete seasons now being affected by the coronavirus.
The Italian and Spanish leagues are on hold, while UEFA has postponed the remaining Champions League last-16 second legs scheduled for next week. Both Real Madrid, due to play at Manchester City, and Juventus, due to host Lyon, are in quarantine after the clubs were hit by cases of the virus.
As the week has progressed, it has seemed increasingly difficult for UEFA to stage one of the biggest sporting events across Europe in three months. UEFA previously said in a statement Euro 2020 would be part of discussions about “European football’s response to the outbreak” when a video conference is held on Tuesday involving the 55 member associations, a representative of players’ union FIFPRO and the boards of the European Club Association and the European Leagues.
UEFA said the talks were “in light of the ongoing developments in the spread of COVID-19 across Europe and the changing analysis of the World Health Organization.”
One of the key figures involved in the talks is self-isolating. Juventus confirmed to The Associated Press that chair Andrea Agnelli, who chairs the European Club Association, is undergoing precautionary quarantine after one of the Serie A team’s players tested positive for the virus.
There is already a potential gap in the football calendar across June and July 2021, since FIFA has yet to secure funding or a decision on a final format for the planned revamped 24team Club World Cup.