This is a suggestion that has clearly not been accepted, given the statement from the governing body of European football which pushes for a resumption of the season. The Brazilian magazine Veja, one of the most widely distributed in the vast country, reports Tuesday that the World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed to UEFA not to resume international competitions before the end of 2021, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This hypothesis would have been recommended by two epidemiologists of the UN agency during a meeting organized by videoconference on April 16.
The two specialists would have relied on a study pointing out the risks of new waves of contamination during the next year, for lack of vaccine available before several months. They would thus have considered that the best scenario, from a health point of view, was not to resume competitions this year. Veja specifies that this opinion, purely advisory, did not reach consensus at the end of this interview kept secret.
A “variety of options” to end the season
UEFA has also publicly announced on Tuesday 21 April that it is in favor of a resumption of national competitions to end the 2019-2020 season. “A variety of options for the calendar” of the national and European club competitions were presented on Tuesday afternoon at a telephone meeting with the 55 member federations, UEFA said in a statement without specifying dates.
Football competitions have been suspended in the vast majority of European countries since mid-March due to the health crisis. In recent days, the press has raised the possibility of ending the national championships at the start of the summer and completing the Champions League and the Europa League in August.
Nothing has stopped for the moment and UEFA will continue its consultations, in particular with the European associations of clubs and leagues (ECA and EPFL). The government of the European football governing body is also scheduled to meet on Thursday to “take stock and discuss the latest developments”.
>> Subscribe to exclusive RMC Sport offers to watch the rest of the Champions League
–
–
