While the national leagues are currently working feverishly on a plan to end the season with the help of ghost games, UEFA is also facing a major challenge. What happens to the decisions in Champions and Europa League? The signs are growing that the two titles will be awarded in late summer.
UEFA has to put up with playing only the second violin. All national leagues have priority over Champions and Europa League. Following the postponement of the European Championship next year, UEFA is keen to maintain its two competitions. The round of 16 has not yet ended in the Champions League. Some teams are already in the quarter-finals, others have had to postpone their second leg. Bayern Munich have one leg in the next round after winning 3-0 at Chelsea on the island at Chelsea. It looks different between Real Madrid and Manchester City. The Citizens won 2-1 in the Bernabeu, but everything would have been possible for the Madrid in the second leg. One thing is clear: the rest of the second leg must be played somehow, the home advantage is lost. Once all eight quarter-finalists have been determined, it is considered how the champion will be determined. Quarter-finals and semi-finals with first and second leg in front of empty ranks? It makes little sense.
One game each?
The away gate regulation would be completely overridden. The same game can also be seen in the Europa League. Even more games are missing here because the first legs of the Italian teams were no longer held. So two duels between Sevilla and AS Roma and Inter Milan against Getafe are open as well as another six second legs. The following also applies here: after the first leg, the second encounter should also be played. What happens next is currently the big question for UEFA delegates. Rumor has it that there will be a clear favorite regarding the form of decision. UEFA boss Aleksander Ceferin wants to end sporting in August at the latest. But not with two games each in two weeks until the finalists have been determined. It can be heard from UEFA circles that a European tournament is being planned. This should go for about three weeks. Overall, a small European championship with the best club teams.
Same principle for Europa League
When the national leagues are over, the teams should meet to play the champion. In the Europa League, too, you want to determine the winner. It is problematic to set an exact date. Nobody currently knows when soccer can be played again in the respective nations. The DFL plans to restart play on the second weekend in May. The Bundesliga is said to have found champions and relegated teams by the end of June. The situation is different in England, Spain and Italy. In the Premier League, it is estimated that the game can only be played again at the end of May at the earliest. There is still no forecast for the Primera Division and Serie A. In Spain and Italy, however, the effects of the global pandemic are far worse than in Germany. If one of the leagues is not yet over when UEFA wants to play its competitions, there is a risk of considerable scheduling chaos.
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