Lausanne: Euro 2020 has been postponed by a year to 2021 due to the coronavirus crisis that has wrecked havoc in the world with all sporting events hit massively. After Norweigan Football Association announced on social media that the tournament will now take place from June 11 to July 11, 2021, UEFA confirmed the postponement.
In its media release, UEFA said, "The health 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."
Euro 2020 was originally supposed to take place this year from June 12 to July 12 at 12 venues across Europe.
UEFA has also put on hold club and national team matches for both men and women until further notice. The UEFA 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.
To examine the calendar solutions for the completion of the current season, a working gropup has also been established.
The decisions, taken by UEFA’s Executive Committee, followed videoconference meetings held on Tuesday with the presidents and general secretaries of the 55 national associations, as well as representatives of the European Club Association, European Leagues and FIFPro Europe, convened by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, to find a coherent plan to break the logjam of fixtures building up due to the spread of the virus across the continent.
"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 co-operation, with everyone recognising that they had to sacrifice something in order to achieve the best result.
“It was important that, as the governing body of European football, UEFA led the process and made the biggest sacrifice. Moving EURO 2020 comes at a huge cost for UEFA but we will do our best to ensure that the vital funding for grassroots, women’s football and the development of the game in our 55 countries is not affected. Purpose over profit has been our guiding principle in taking this decision for the good of European football as a whole," UEFA president Ceferin said after the decison was made.
UEFA also assured "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. Within the next month, further information on the refund process will be communicated" to them.
Decisions on dates for other UEFA competitions, whether club or national team for men or women, will be taken and announced in due course.
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