Uefa is consulting government ministers around the continent about the threat of coronavirus to Euro 2020 and other fixtures in the football calendar.
While the governing body is insistent the competition will kick off in Rome on June 12, sources on the political side maintain there is a definite possibility the tournament could be altered or even postponed.
The spread of coronavirus has already played as much havoc with the sporting calendar as the rest of the world, most notably in Europe with the Six Nations Ireland vs Italy fixture on March 6 being cancelled, and Serie A matches getting postponed and now being forced behind closed doors.
That makes the unique structure of this year’s European Championship a particular issue. For the first time ever, the event will be spread around 12 countries, and it is estimated that as many as 2.5million fans from around the world will travel. The effect on the spread of the virus could be huge, and many medical experts see this as the worst possible structure of a tournament at such a time.
The problem is that is still almost totally unknown whether the virus can be contained in that time, or it will continue to spread. As one source says “it’s totally up in the air”.
This is why Uefa have had to more deeply involve government.
A statement from the governing body said: “Euro 2020 will kick off on 12th June 2020 in Rome. Uefa is in touch with the relevant international and local authorities regarding the coronavirus and its development.
“For the moment, there is no need to change anything in the planned timetable. The issue will be kept under constant scrutiny.”
Earlier on Friday, Uefa vice-president Michele Uva admitted to Italian broadcaster RAI it could yet be called off or altered.
“We are monitoring country by country, and football must follow the orders of the individual countries. The sporting path will only be closed if the situation gets worse.”
