By Andrew Warshaw
March 13 – Amid speculation that this summer’s 12-city European Championship could be postponed for a year because of Covid-19, UEFA has summoned a crisis video-conference next Tuesday with its entire membership as well as leagues and clubs.
With football gradually grinding to a halt across the Continent and even players and coaches testing positive as well as the fans, UEFA has reluctantly been forced to re-evaluate whether the Euros, uniquely being staged across the Continent to mark the tournament’s 60th anniversary, can still go ahead on time.
The unprecedented video conference will be held “to discuss European football’s response to the outbreak …in the light of the ongoing developments in the spread of COVID-19 across Europe and the changing analysis of the World Health Organisation,” said UEFA.
The meeting will involve representatives from all 55 national associations as well as the European Club Association and the European Leagues.
One possible solution amidst the current chaos is reported to be a change of venue to stage the competition in a single country; another is switching games from cities hit hardest by corona to those less affected; a third is to delay the tournament by a year until 2021. But that’s exactly the same time FIFA is holding its first expanded 24-team Club World Club competition in China so something would have to give.
Another complication is that although Euro 2020 is due to kick off in June, the final four qualifying spots are due to be decided in play-off matches at the end of this month and are in grave jeopardy of being called off.
Until now UEFA has been clinging to the hope that by June, the current global health crisis would have receded in time to stage the Euros as planned.
That may still be the case but with the escalation of the virus, UEFA said Tuesday’s all-important summit “will include all domestic and European competitions, including UEFA EURO 2020. Further communication will be made following those meetings.”
In a way, you couldn’t make it up. Using 12 stadiums in 12 different nations, with all the complexities involved, was always going to be a challenge in itself for UEFA. Now it’s become a veritable nightmare for UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin who has never felt comfortable with the idea, conceived by his predecessor Michael Platini.
One factor UEFA may consider is that by postponing the Euros, it would create space in a congested calendar for its club competitions and domestic leagues to be completed. But it’s unchartered territory for European football’s governing body with all the knock-on effects – financial as well as logistical – thrown up by the spread of Covid-19.
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