UEFA has announced the postponed of Euro 2020 until the summer of 2021 so as to allow European leagues to complete their seasons amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Europe the epicentre of the virus and UEFA held a conference with its 55 member associations, the board of the European Club Association and the board of the European Leagues today to ascertain whether the tournament will be held. The Association has however reached a conclusion of postponing the tournament till the summer of 2021 so that Domestic competitions across Europe concludes.v
UEFA said in a statement: "UEFA today announced the postponement of its flagship national team competition, UEFA Euro 2020, due to be played in June and July this year.
"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.
"All UEFA competitions and matches (including friendlies) for clubs and national teams for both men and women have been put on hold 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.
"A working group has been set up with the participation of leagues and club representatives to examine calendar solutions that would allow for the completion of the current season and any other consequence of the decisions made today."
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin admitted the decision to postpone Euro 2020 by 12 months would be costly for UEFA but said he is determined that funding for grassroots football in its 55 member nations would not be affected by it.
"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," Ceferin said.
"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 are not affected. Purpose over profit has been our guiding principle in taking this decision for the good of European football as a whole."
The 2020 Copa America has also be postponed until the summer of 2021 due to the coronavirus. The tournament had been due to take place in Colombia and Argentina between June 12 and July 12 of this year.
