On Tuesday, UEFA announced the postponement until 2021 of its flagship national team competition, EURO 2020, due to be played in June and July 2020.
“The safety 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,” said in the announcement.
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.
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.
UEFA today announced the postponement of UEFA EURO 2020.
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...
Full statement: 👇— UEFA (@UEFA) March 17, 2020
Health is the priority
Announcing the decisions, Aleksander Čeferin said:
"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 cooperation, with everyone recognising that they had to sacrifice something in order to achieve the best result.”
EURO 2020 was scheduled to take place in 12 cities across Europe from 12 June to 12 July 2020. The proposed new dates are from 11 June to 11 July 2021.
UEFA would like to reassure existing ticket buyers and hospitality clients that, if they cannot attend the tournament in 2021, the face value of their tickets and packages will be refunded in full.
