UEFA are ready to put Euro 2020 back a YEAR – to allow this season’s club football season to be finished.
The dramatic response to the growing coronavirus crisis is expected to be confirmed by European chiefs on Tuesday.
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Euro 2020 could be put back a year in order to complete the domestic seasonCredit: AFP
Uefa is preparing to postpone all next week’s Champions League and Europa League ties until next month, after the planned March international break.
The plan put forward by Uefa is that extending the season into June and even July, when the Euros – set to be hosted across 12 European nations – are due to take place, will allow next season to begin as scheduled and be the least disruptive option.
While tonight’s remaining Europa League ties, including the games involving Manchester United and Wolves, are going ahead, Uefa have now confirmed next week’s games between Manchester City and Real Madrid and Juventus’ home game with Lyon, have been postponed.
That came after Juve defender Daniele Rugani became the first Serie A player to test positive for the virus.
Meanwhile, Madrid went into quarantine after a member of the club’s basketball team was also found to be infected.
With Napoli players currently banned from flying to Barcelona, it would leave only Chelsea’s game at Bayern Munich to go ahead.
Although that is also likely to be put on hold as Bavarian authorities have demanded it be played behind closed doors.
ONGOING CHAOS
Uefa is understood to recognise that failing to complete the club season would cause ongoing chaos for next year.
All 55 national associations as well as the European Clubs Association and the international players’ union FIFPro have been invited to join the talks headed by Uefa President Aleksander Ceferin.
Uefa insiders confirmed that all options were “on the table” with all parties urged to make their views clear.
But the preferred position, which is expected to be endorsed by Uefa at the end of the video conference, is for club football to be made the priority.
That will allow space for both the domestic and European club programme to be played out to a conclusion, even if it takes the extended campaign deep into the summer.
Euro 2020 was due to start on June 12 in Rome and finish at Wembley exactly a month later.
That left no space for the club season to be extended beyond the end of May.
With leagues across Europe already in lockdown, and more set to follow, there was no way championships were going to be able to be completed in the narrow window.
Fears over the repercussions and potential legal suits for clubs affected by promotion, relegation and European qualification issues are also a significant factor.
But moving the Euros back 12 months, with Uefa expected to confirm all tickets will be honoured in 2021, is viewed as an acceptable and necessary compromise.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
