Munich threatens to end the EM

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Munich Arena: Three EM group matches and a quarter-finals are planned here so far

Photo: MICHAEL DALDER / REUTERS

There are increasing signs that there will be no European Championship games in Munich in the summer.

Statements by Uefa President Aleksander Ceferin suggest: “Every host must guarantee that fans are allowed to attend the games.

We have several scenarios.

But the option that any game of the EM will be played without fans is definitely off the table, «he told the Croatian media.

»The ideal variant is to play in all twelve countries.

But it is possible that the tournament will be played in ten or eleven countries if some countries do not meet the requirements, ”said Ceferin.

The EM was postponed by one year on March 17, 2020 due to the corona pandemic.

At the request of SPIEGEL, Uefa put the statements of its president into perspective a little - but the threatening scenario remains.

The association announced that it would not be the case that a city would "automatically be eliminated".

“But we still have to consider whether it would make sense to play without fans - or whether these games should be redistributed to other locations.

The decision will probably be made in April

The Uefa said that the decision, "if necessary", will be made in April.

According to information from the sports information service, the twelve host cities (Munich, Amsterdam, Baku, Bilbao, Budapest, Bucharest, Dublin, Glasgow, Copenhagen, Rome, St. Petersburg and London) have to explain their viewers' question by April 7th.

The decision on the format of the final round (June 11th to July 11th), which is to be held as a pan-European tournament for the first time, will probably be made at the UEFA Congress on April 20th at the earliest.

Uefa will probably not be able to expect a clear commitment from Munich.

"As much as I would like to be able to look into the future, unfortunately I cannot," said Mayor Dieter Reiter.

»At this point in time, it is simply not possible to make a statement as to whether the infectious events of the corona pandemic will allow spectators to be admitted in June or not.

It is clear, however, that events of this kind with spectators are not permitted under the current regulations. "

The city of Munich is still hoping for a dialogue with Uefa.

"In these times in particular, I would like those responsible at Uefa to seek direct exchange with the host cities in order to work out a solution together."

Is there any exception?

According to the original Uefa plans, the group matches of the German national team against France (June 15), Portugal (June 19) and Hungary (June 23) as well as a quarter-finals are to be played in Munich.

In Munich, as in all of Germany, no spectators are currently allowed in the football stadiums.

Will there be an exception for the EM?

In view of the time pressure, the topic would have to be discussed at the federal-state consultations next Monday - the item "events" is on the agenda after all.

Still, a final round across the continent with spectators currently seems unlikely, as travel is viewed by experts as the driver of the pandemic.

The restrictions currently in force in many countries would make it largely impossible for fans to cross borders.

The German Football Association (DFB) announced that it was continuing to work on all scenarios.

"In the interests of the fans, we would like to fulfill the vision that spectators can also attend the EURO 2020 games in Munich under the applicable regulations," it said in a statement.

The association left it open whether this is feasible: "In the ongoing discussions with Uefa and our partners in Munich, we will continue to discuss whether and how these goals can be implemented until April."

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