The European football association UEFA will discuss with the national federations, clubs, leagues and the players’ union on Tuesday what should be done with the European Championship next summer in view of the corona virus. An overview of four possible scenarios.
The European Championship will continue as usual next summer
“We are confident that we can keep the matter under control,” said UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin at the 44th Congress of the European Football Association in Amsterdam at the beginning of this month.
The option to start the European Championship in Rome on 12 June as planned now seems more unlikely by the day. Logically, it is UEFA’s preference to have the European Championship played next summer, because it would save the European Football Association and the parties involved a lot of shifting and calculating.
In the meantime, however, opposition to the European Championship going forward is growing and some national federations have already submitted requests to UEFA to move or even cancel the European Championship.
With football coming to a standstill in the coming weeks, concerns are growing about the limited number of dates on which matches can be made up. “And we would like to finish the competition, because that is fairer,” said Italian Federal President Gabriele Gravina on Sunday.
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UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin faces a difficult decision. (Photo: Getty Images)
The European Championship will be moved to winter
Should the European Championship be moved, it seems an option to hold the tournament this winter. One of the advantages is that in the coming months there will be more room for the European competitions to finish the current season, although a drawback is that the planning for next season is jeopardized.
When the European Championship is moved, a winter edition seems to at least have the express preference of FIFA, which is not present at the consultation on Tuesday. The world football association is organizing a renewed World Cup in China next summer for clubs with 24 countries – it will take the place of the Confederations Cup – and does not want to jeopardize that tournament.
Postponement to the winter would be good news for national coach Ronald Koeman, among others, who has injured players like Memphis Depay and Donyell Malen back at the Orange by then.
With a shift from the European Championship to the winter months, a line would be drawn with the 2022 World Cup, which will take place at the end of the calendar year due to the high temperatures in the organizing Qatar.
The European Championship is postponed by one year
“I think there is no other option than to play the European Championship in another year and it is not possible to just shift it a few months. It is difficult to predict what will happen in the near future,” said Evgeniy Levchenko on behalf of the Dutch players’ union VVCS on Sunday at the NOS.
The VVCS seems to be on a par with several national federations, which reportedly prefer to postpone the European Championship by a year. With this option, the tournament can continue and at the same time the risk of the corona virus is minimized.
Usually reliable L’Équipe and the BBC postponing the European Championship to 2021 is a very realistic option. The biggest obstacle seems to be the World Cup for clubs and the question is whether FIFA is willing to make concessions. President Gianni Infantino has not yet spoken on it.
The European Championship is canceled
If UEFA, the 55 affiliated football federations, the players’ union and the other parties involved do not come to a solution, then in theory it could be that the 16th edition of the European Championship will be broken.
Although leagues have the maximum opportunity to catch up on postponed matches, the financial consequences for the parties involved will be significant and many players will be robbed of a final tournament under their name.
It would be the first time in the sixtieth anniversary of the European Championship that the European final tournament is canceled.
Follow the latest developments around the virus in the sports world in us live blog.
The coronavirus in short
- The coronavirus mainly spreads through sneezes and cough drops. The virus can be transmitted directly from person to person or (for a limited time) through surfaces such as door handles.
- An infected person infects two to three others on average. Precautions are necessary to contain this.
- The vast majority of patients have mild (flu-like) complaints.
- Nearly all deaths involve the elderly or other frail, such as heart, lung or diabetes patients. If everyone complies with the measures, this reduces their risks.
- Read here what precautions you should take.
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