Euro 2020 postponed to 2021
UEFA Euro 2020, which was scheduled to take place from June 12 to July 12, will now be played next year according to the Norwegian FA.
Published : Mar 17, 2020 18:21 IST
With all football leagues across Europe suspended due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Euro 2020 event was expected to be postponed or cancelled.
European football's governing body, UEFA, was holding an emergency video conference involving all member countries to discuss the issue on Tuesday.
The football association of Norway has now said on Twitter the continental tournament has been postponed to 2021. According to the tweet, June 11 to July 11 is the new desired window.
The original competition was supposed to be played from June 12 to July 12 this year, with a record 12 nations hosting it to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the European Championships.
Italian FA president Gabriele Gravina and his Spanish counterpart Javier Tebas had hinted at asking the UEFA for an extended period to complete their respective leagues, Serie A and La Liga.
With the postponement of Euro 2020, UEFA will be looking to grant leagues across Europe more time for completion, rather than declaring it null and void for the season, which is still a worst-case scenario if the situation concerning the spread of the virus doesn't change.
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There are likely to be further ramifications for the women's European Championship, which is due to take place in England in 2021.
So far no changes have been made to the format of the men's tournament which was scheduled to take place across the continent in 12 cities: Amsterdam, Baku, Bilbao, Budapest, Bucharest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Munich, Rome and Saint Petersburg.
The semifinals and final of the Euro were due to be played in London. Twenty of the 24 teams set to take part have already qualified, but play-offs to determine the final four participants, due to be played later this month, will have to take place at a later date.
(With inputs from AFP).