SM
England vs. Ireland: 5 hrs 37 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Aleksander Ceferin confident Euro 2020 will go ahead despite coronavirus

:Headline: Aleksander Ceferin confident Euro 2020 will go ahead despite coronavirus: ID:391657: from db_amp
UEFA has set up a co-ordination group to manage the impact of Covid-19.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin remains optimistic Euro 2020 will go ahead as planned despite the coronavirus outbreak and does not want to consider "dark scenarios" such as relocating matches or cancelling the tournament at this stage.

There are now almost 90,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide and European football's governing body UEFA has set up a co-ordination group to deal with the impact of the virus on the sport.

Scotland boss Steve Clarke did not attend the Nations League draw in Amsterdam on Tuesday as it was deemed "an unnecessary risk" amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Swiss federation president Dominique Blanc, where league football has been suspended until at least March 23, said at UEFA Congress on Tuesday that the virus had put football in a place that could "shake it to its foundations".

Before the Euros there are women's 2021 European Championship qualifiers this week, plus Champions League and Europa League knockout matches and Euro 2020 play-off games all due to take place this month.

UEFA says it is in constant contact with the World Health Organisation and national governments over the issue and does not want to speculate about what further impact the outbreak might have on its schedule.

“Due to the coronavirus we are in a situation that could shake, for a part of us, professional football to its foundations.”
- Swiss federation president Dominique Blanc

Ceferin said: "Let's try to be optimistic and not think about dark scenarios. There's time for that later."

UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis added: "We have been working on detailed scenarios, and don't forget – the Euros starts in June.

"We have plenty of matches in the next couple of weeks, so there are different scenarios which we are not allowed to share further details of right now. But I assure you that yes, there are plans for everything.

"We do not want to start speculating at this stage. We want to take it very seriously, case by case, involving the different stakeholders. We do not want to start speculating on what may happen in three or four months' time."

One immediate consequence of the coronavirus outbreak was Clarke's no-show at Tuesday evening's 2020-21 Nations League draw.

A Scottish Football Association spokesman said: "At the first meeting of the Scottish football response group it was agreed that the national coach travelling to the UEFA Nations League draw was an unnecessary risk."

amp_article__391657 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-03-03 13:42:43:
html db last update - 2020-03-03 13:42:43 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Coronavirus outbreak - Click here for more stories

Click here for more stories about Steve Clarke

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .