No Euros this season as Uefa gives leagues time to finish their competitions
Euro 2020 has become the biggest football casualty of the coronavirus after UEFA decided to postpone the competition until next year.
The competition was slated to be played between June and July this year, but it has now been moved until next year.
The European governing body has also suspended their club competitions which consist of the Champions League and the Europa League indefinitely.
Their decision was forced by the coronavirus outbreak and they have taken these steps so that the various European leagues can be completed after the pandemic.
Most European leagues have been suspended after the virus made its way into Europe and started devastating countries like Italy and Spain.
UEFA’s statement reads: “Priority given to completing domestic competitions in an unprecedented solidarity move by UEFA. Working group set up to examine possibilities for this season’s UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League competitions.
“UEFA today announced the postponement of its flagship national team competition, UEFA EURO 2020, due to be played in June and July this year. The health of all those involved in the game is the priority, as well as to avoid placing any unnecessary pressure on national public services involved in staging matches.
“The move will help all domestic competitions, currently on hold due to the COVID-19 emergency, to be completed.
“All UEFA competitions and matches (including friendlies) for clubs and national teams for both men and women have been put on hold until further notice.
“The UEFA EURO 2020 Play-off matches and international friendlies, scheduled for the end of March, will now be played in the international window at the start of June, subject to a review of the situation.
“A working group has been set up with the participation of leagues and club representatives to examine calendar solutions that would allow for the completion of the current season and any other consequence of the decisions made today.
“The decisions, taken by UEFA’s Executive Committee, followed videoconference meetings held today with the Presidents and General Secretaries of the 55 national associations, as well as representatives of the European Club Association, European Leagues and FIFPro Europe, convened by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, to find a coherent plan to break the logjam of fixtures building up due to the spread of the virus across the continent.”
This decision will now help the governing bodies of the various leagues decide how they would end their leagues.
