17 Mar 2020
Coronavirus: UEFA postpones Euro 2020 by 12 months
BY Tom Walker
Football's European governing body UEFA has postponed its flagship national team competition, Euro 2020, by a year.
The event was due to be played in June and July this year, involving 12 cities across Europe.
The tournament will now take place from 11 June to 11 July 2021.
The decision was made following videoconference meetings between the presidents and general secretaries of Europe's 55 national football associations, as well as representatives of the European Club Association, European Leagues and FIFPro Europe.
"It is at times like these that the football community needs to show responsibility, unity, solidarity and altruism," said UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin.
"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.
"There was a real spirit of cooperation, with everyone recognising that they had to sacrifice something in order to achieve the best result.
"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.
"Purpose over profit has been our guiding principle in taking this decision for the good of European football as a whole.
"Football is an uplifting and powerful force in society. The thought of celebrating a pan-European festival of football in empty stadia, with deserted fan zones while the continent sits at home in isolation, is a joyless one and one we could not accept to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the competition."
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