It is now official that UEFA have postponed Euro 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, so the European Championship will run from June 11-July 11, 2021.
The decision had been effectively confirmed by the Norwegian and French Federations following today’s conference call with representatives of the 55 nations, Players’ Associations and more.
It is now official that UEFA have postponed Euro 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, so the European Championship will run from June 11-July 11, 2021.
The decision had been effectively confirmed by the Norwegian and French Federations following today’s conference call with representatives of the 55 nations, Players’ Associations and more.
It had been due to kick off at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on June 12, with Italy hosting Turkey, and the Final at Wembley in London on July 12.
However, it became inevitable to postpone, giving various domestic league competitions including Serie A, the Premier League and La Liga, the time to conclude their campaigns.
“UEFA today announced the postponement of its flagship national team competition, UEFA EURO 2020, due to be played in June and July this year,” read a statement.
“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.
“Decisions on dates for other UEFA competitions, whether club or national team for men or women, will be taken and announced in due course.”
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin explained the decision was one that simply had to be made.
“We are at the helm of a sport that vast numbers of people live and breathe that has been laid low by this invisible and fast-moving opponent. It is at times like these, that the football community needs to show responsibility, unity, solidarity and altruism.
“The health of fans, staff and players has to be our number one priority and in that spirit, UEFA tabled a range of options so that competitions can finish this season safely and I am proud of the response of my colleagues across European football. There was a real spirit of co-operation, with everyone recognising that they had to sacrifice something in order to achieve the best result.
“It was important that, as the governing body of European football, UEFA led the process and made the biggest sacrifice. Moving EURO 2020 comes at a huge cost for UEFA but we will do our best to ensure that the vital funding for grassroots, women’s football and the development of the game in our 55 countries is not affected. Purpose over profit has been our guiding principle in taking this decision for the good of European football as a whole.
“Football is an uplifting and powerful force in society. The thought of celebrating a pan-European festival of football in empty stadia, with deserted fan zones while the continent sits at home in isolation, is a joyless one and one we could not accept to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the competition.”