By Andrew Warshaw
March 24 – UEFA has bowed to the inevitable and postponed the Champions League and Europa League finals, and the women’s Champions League final, due to have been played in May – with no rearranged dates.
Last week UEFA postponed Euro 2020 for a year but there is no indication that the Continent’s two main club competitions, which are halfway through the last-16 stage, can be completed especially with domestic leagues across Europe on hold because of Covid-19.
Speculation will now increase that UEFA’s showpiece club competitions may be scrapped altogether due to the ongoing health crisis in Europe.
Istanbul was set to host the men’s Champions League showpiece on May 30, while the Europa League final was due to take place on May 27 at Gdansk.
“No decision has yet been made on rearranged dates. The working group, established last week as a result of the conference call among the stakeholders of European football, which was chaired by UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin, will analyse the options available,” said a statement.
“The group has already begun its examination of the calendar. Announcements will be made in due course.”
The postponements effectively mean UEFA acknowledges that the season will not be completed by the end of June which was the original target.
One possibility might now be turning two-legged ties into one-off games a la the old European Cup. Even if that happens, however, next season’s Champions League looks likely to be heavily rescheduled since qualifiers are supposed to start in July.
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