Champions League and Europa League remain suspended indefinitely; June international matches postponed
Written by News on 02/04/2020
UEFA has confirmed its club competitions remain suspended until further notice, while all of June’s international matches have been postponed.
European football’s governing body announced the news on Wednesday following a meeting with its 55 member associations to discuss strategy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The postponement of international fixtures includes Euro 2020 play-offs involving Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Scotland, as well as qualifying matches for the Women’s European Championships in 2021.
England were scheduled to have friendlies against Austria and Romania in June, while Wales were set to face the Netherlands.
Deadlines related to the 2020-21 UEFA club competitions are also postponed, with the governing body saying it would issue further advice in due course.
After the Dutch football association (KNVB) issued a statement saying it would follow UEFA’s direction to attempt to finish the season by August 3, a UEFA spokesperson told Sky Sports News: “It is impossible to make a declaration about the end of the season when we don’t yet know when we can restart.
“Once we have certainty on that, we can be more definitive about when to end the season.”
UEFA have also cancelled the European U17 Championship final tournament scheduled for May 2020 and the European Women’s U19 Championship finals due to take place in July this year.
The executive committee has decided to suspend certain aspects of club licensing provisions due to the “increasing uncertainty generated by the ongoing extraordinary events”.
These include the requirement to provide the preparation and assessment of clubs’ future financial information.
The UEFA statement said: “The executive committee reiterated its full commitment to club licensing and financial fair play and agreed that the current exceptional circumstances necessitate some specific interventions to facilitate the work of member associations and clubs.”
Nobody mentions cancelling the season
Analysis by Bryan Swanson, Chief Reporter…
UEFA’s decision to postpone all national team matches in June was a formality.
Footballers cannot play games during an international crisis, and the coronavirus pandemic has not yet peaked throughout Europe.
The video conference call lasted nearly two-and-a-half hours, an hour longer than scheduled, but there was unity across all 55 member associations.
“It is remarkable how together the football community is at the moment,” said an official who was on the call.
Tellingly, not one association raised the issue of cancelling the season.
European football wants to finish the current season, even if there is a growing acceptance that the preferred deadline of June 30 is likely to be further delayed.
Various scenarios were discussed, including turning international fixtures into three-game slots, rather than the current two-game windows.
UEFA associations also discussed the feasibility of scheduling European matches – in the Champions League and Europa League – on similar dates to domestic games.
They are working towards anything which reduces the prospect of having to drop games.
Europe’s associations will meet again later this month.
Their priority remains finishing the current season before considering when to start the next.
But only when it is safe to do so.
(c) Sky Sports 2020: Champions League and Europa League remain suspended indefinitely; June international matches postponed
