A host of football’s governing bodies have signed a joint resolution committing to end the 2019/20 domestic campaigns and European club competitions by June 30.
UEFA, the European Club Association, European Leagues and FIFPro Europe have come together to agree on that deadline in the wake of football being suspended across the continent due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Leagues throughout Europe, including the EFL and Premier League, are currently on hold until April 4 – though the expectation is that hiatus will be considerably longer given projections the peak of the crisis is still 10-14 weeks away.
A statement on the UEFA website reads: “(There is) a commitment to complete all domestic and European club competitions by the end of the current sporting season, ie 30th June 2020 at the latest, should the situation improve and resuming playing be appropriate and prudent enough.
“Possible limitations or drops of current exclusive calendar slots, potentially resulting in the scheduling of domestic league matches in midweek and scheduling of UEFA club competitions matches on weekends.
“Possible adaptations of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds in case of late completion of the 2019/20 sporting season, ie after 30th June 2020.
“A working group composed of representatives from UEFA, leagues and clubs will be immediately established to examine relevant calendar matters and devise solutions allowing for the resumption and/or conclusion of the current season in a coherent manner.
“A second working group composed of representatives from UEFA, leagues, clubs and players will be set up at a later stage to assess the economic, financial and regulatory impact of the Covid-19 outbreak and propose measures to help mitigate the consequences of the pandemic.”
Earlier today, UEFA announced that the Euro 2020 tournament had been postponed until the summer of 2021.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here