Football

UEFA plot four-team tournament to meet Champions League and Europa League August deadline


UEFA are considering a four-team mini-tournament to complete the Champions League as they seek to finish both of their club competitions in August but fear they must be forced to scrap the competition entirely.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused major disruption to the 2019-20 season schedule and Europe’s governing body confirmed on Wednesday that all Champions League and Europa League matches have been suspended “until further notice”.

UEFA held a video conference with its 55 member associations on Monday to discuss contingency plans.

And they remain determined to play their games, but will not do so until Europe’s domestic seasons are completed – insisting the various leagues have to be completed first.

They also do not want the remaining Champions League and Europa League matches to be played behind doors.

And as such, UEFA are pushing for league campaigns to be finished by August 3, therefore meaning the Premier League and other divisions would need to be restarted in June.

But sources have conceded that if leagues cannot start at the very latest by late June, the European cup competitions may have to be scrapped due to a lack of time.

UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin said last week: “If we don’t succeed in restarting, the season will probably be lost. There is a plan A, B and C.

“The three options are to start again in mid-May, in June or at the end of June.

“There is also the possibility of starting again at the beginning of the next [season], starting the following one later. We will see the best solution for leagues and clubs.”

UEFA’s working group proposed on the conference call a possible calendar that would allow all the leagues to be finished.

The Champions League still have two last-16 ties to complete, plus the quarter finals, semi finals and final.

Likewise, the Europa League still has the second legs of its eight last-16 fixtures to finish, with the quarter finals, semi finals and finals to play after that.

And as such, UEFA have come up with the possibility of a mini four-team tournament with the semi-finals and finals all being played within a short space of time.

The Champions League final is due to be held in Istanbul while the Europa League showpiece is set for Gdansk.

Manchester City and Chelsea remain in the former competition, though the Blues are on the verge of being knocked out by Bayern Munich, while Manchester United and Wolves are in the latter.

And UEFA do not want the games to be played without fans, with Ceferin steadfast in his determination not to play the finals in particular behind closed doors.

To make way for the finals, the 2020 Super Cup – which was to be held in Porto – could be scrapped. The match is no longer mentioned on the UEFA website.

UEFA also didn’t rule out shortening domestic leagues if next season ends up being disrupted, while winter breaks could also be axed. The FA though, are reluctant to scrap domestic cup competitions.

COVID-19 has claimed the lives of almost 50,000 worldwide, with nearly one million people having confirmed to have contracted the deadly virus across over 200 countries and territories.

As a result, all international fixtures in June have been postponed – including Euro 2020 qualifiers for the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland – while the women’s Euros, to be hosted in England, has been pushed back from 2021 to 2022.

That follows the men’s tournament, which was due to take place this June and July but has been moved to 2021.

The international play-offs could meanwhile be rescheduled for September.

Despite UEFA’s desire to conclude the current Champions League and Europa League campaigns in August, it remains to be seen whether doing so will be possible.

Many European countries are currently on lockdown including the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy.

And it is uncertain as to whether football, even behind closed doors, will be able to resume in June due to the severity of the public health crisis.

In a joint-statement, the Premier League said on Wednesday evening: “Senior representatives from the PFA, Premier League, EFL and LMA met today and shared a constructive meeting regarding the challenges facing the game as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The meeting reiterated that the overriding priority is the health and well-being of the nation – including that of players, coaches, managers, club staff and supporters – and everyone agreed football must only return when it is safe and appropriate to do so.

 “No decisions were taken today with discussions set to continue in the next 48 hours with a focus on several high-profile matters, including player wages and the resumption of the 2019/20 season.”



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