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UEFA 'Evaluating' Whether to Postpone Euro 2020 Because of the Coronavirus

Gill Clark@@gillclarkyFeatured Columnist IIMarch 14, 2020

This picture taken on November 30, 2019, in Bucharest, Romania, shows the logo of the European Football Championship 2020 ahead of the UEFA Euro 2020 Final Draw Ceremony. - Bucharest will host the UEFA Euro 2020 draw on November 30, 2019 and host matches in the summer tournament but doubts have arisen on the progress of the construction work. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
FABRICE COFFRINI/Getty Images

UEFA executive member Evelina Christillin said the governing body are "evaluating" whether to postpone Euro 2020 because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Christillin told Il Mattino (h/t Football Italia) that the tournament, which is due to start on June 12, could be moved to next summer instead.

"There were no delays in suspending the Champions League and Europa League, because UEFA is a confederation and could not have acted unilaterally anyway.

"I am not interpreting the thoughts of others in the executive, but I do believe it is opportune to leave time for the national leagues to conclude, postponing the Euros by a year.

"We are therefore evaluating whether to postpone Euro 2020 to next year."

The coronavirus pandemic has led to the suspension of top-level football throughout Europe. The Premier League, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 joined Serie A and La Liga in announcing suspensions on Friday.

The Champions League and Europa League have also been postponed, while FIFA recommended all international fixtures in March and April be cancelled. This would include the Euro 2020 play-offs to decide the final four teams to qualify for the tournament.

UEFA announced they will hold a videoconference meeting on Tuesday to discuss the future of all domestic and European competitions.

L'Equipe reported the postponement of Euro 2020 will be announced at that time:

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Breaking | UEFA are set to announce on Tuesday that EURO 2020 will be postponed to 2021 owing to COVID-19, according to L’Équipe. More follows.

The suspension of the competitions made it virtually impossible for all fixtures to be completed on schedule and before the start of the summer's European Championship.

If Euro 2020 were to be postponed, however, it would free up space in the calendar for domestic leagues and European competitions to be completed.