UEFA calls for the crisis meeting. Everyone who has a say in European football will hold a video conference on Tuesday. It's about the EM. The planned orientation in summer appears illusory.
Nyon (dpa) - Joachim Löw also looks to Nyon. The European Football Union will decide on the relocation of the 2020 European Football Championship on Tuesday. Targeting twelve countries in the summer (June 12 to July 12) appears illusory due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"I am definitely expecting the tournament to be relocated," said DFB general secretary Friedrich Curtius on ARD. In what period is open. In the winter of 2020? Or the summer of 2021? UEFA can hardly afford a complete cancellation. The national coach will have a long break in any case - the DFB team would only be in action again on September 3 to start the new Nations League against Spain.
THE DECISION MAKERS: Several conference calls are planned. Representatives of the 55 UEFA member associations as well as the leaders of the club association ECA, the league advocacy group European Leagues and the player union FIFPro are to take part in the elephant round in the morning. "The discussions cover all national and European competitions, including the EURO 2020," said UEFA. There is a lot to talk about. For German football, DFB Vice President Rainer Koch, from the circle of top European clubs BVB Managing Director Hans-Joachim Watzke, takes part. Afterwards, the UEFA Executive Committee, led by UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, wants to discuss the results in a video slot - and make a decision.
THE BACKGROUNDS: An opening game in Rome in less than three months is unimaginable. Italy is cordoned off to think of football in hardly any other European country. Not even in Munich - the Bavarian capital had been selected to host three group games and a quarter-final. Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Bilbao, St. Petersburg, Bucharest, Budapest, Baku, Glasgow, Dublin and London were also designated as hosts. Everyone will be affected by the UEFA decision and will want to have a say. Basically, there are two scenarios - apart from the complete cancellation of the tournament - but each of them has other problems.
THE WINTER EM: According to consistent media reports, there is a discussion about the postponement of the pan-European tournament in the coming autumn / winter. The championship would then be held in Qatar almost exactly two years before the 2022 World Cup. However, almost all European leagues would have to change their already fixed schedule for the 2020/21 season and interrupt the season for the European Championship. This is even more complicated at the moment because nobody can say with certainty when and how regular games can be played again. For the Qatar World Cup, the football calendar has to be thrown over anyway, even if a less abrupt changeover was planned.
THE SUMMER EM: The move to next year seems logical. All participants and hosts would have similar requirements as they would have had this summer. Only the EM would collide with the new Club World Cup of the world association FIFA, which is to celebrate its premiere in China in the summer of 2021. UEFA would have to negotiate hard with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who has been campaigning for top clubs for months with millions of dollars in prize money. If he gives in and moves his own Turin player, UEFA could accommodate FIFA by shedding several top clubs.
THE BENEFITS: Regardless of whether the EM is moved to winter or summer - the national leagues would have one month more time to find a way out of the coronavirus crisis. Instead of the end of May, it should not be until the end of June, most player contracts end on June 30. However, it is not currently possible to assess whether this is sufficient. The crisis situation is constantly changing. Experts also do not expect the rising temperatures in summer to make a significant improvement. So the European Championship may be postponed and football will not be played in the leagues.
Then even demands for an adjustment of the seasons in the main European leagues to the calendar year could be heard. Possible interim solutions from UEFA should also be on the bill. The European Championship may only be postponed indefinitely after the video has been switched on, so that the Europa Association has more time to coordinate with the leagues and FIFA.
European football union
UEFA announcement
Club association ECA
European Leagues
