Euro 2020 and Copa América Are Postponed for a Year

He said he planned to speak with the Chinese government about postponing the newly expanded Club World Cup, which was set to be the first major men’s soccer tournament to be played there, next summer. The event, Infantino said, could now be played at an alternate date in 2021, 2022 or 2023.

Hours after the Euros announcement, UEFA said it had committed to finishing domestic club leagues by June 30, in places where it would be possible. It also said that European club competitions would share match dates with domestic leagues, meaning Champions League games, which normally take place midweek, could be played on the weekends.

The decision to delay the Euros and all other matches in Europe came after a series of video conferences involving leaders from UEFA and representatives of clubs, leagues and the global players’ union. With so much disruption, including club seasons that have been suspended midyear, officials appear to have concluded that priority should be given to those domestic competitions and not to a quadrennial tournament that had not yet begun — even one as important as the Euros.

Moving the European Championship back a year will have ripple effects on the international soccer calendar. Beyond the Club World Cup, the women’s Euros, which had been scheduled for 2021, will now be moved back to 2022, according to a person familiar with the decision, though the organization made no official comment on its future competitions. UEFA also said all events and matches (including friendlies) for its clubs and national teams — for both men and women — were postponed until further notice.

“It was important that, as the governing body of European football, UEFA led the process and made the biggest sacrifice,” Ceferin said. “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.”

Norway’s national federation was the first to confirm a final decision had been made about the Euros, posting on its official Twitter feed that the championships would be played between June 11 and July 11 next year.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/sports/euro-2020-postponed.html