In response to the escalating global coronavirus pandemic, UEFA announced the suspension of all Champions League and Europa League matches “until further notice.” The decision, made after a meeting of the European governing body’s 55 member associations, came shortly after the organization had already postponed the finals of both the Champions League, the Europa League, and the Women’s Champions League, which were originally scheduled for May.
The suspension extended beyond club competitions, encompassing all national team games scheduled for June, including the play-off matches for Euro 2020 (which was already postponed to 2021) and the qualifying matches for the Women’s Euro 2021.
This affected teams like Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and Scotland, who were set to feature in the Euro 2020 play-offs. At the time of the suspension, Premier League sides Manchester City and Chelsea were still in the Champions League, while Manchester United, Wolves, and Rangers were competing in the Europa League.
The Race to Finish the Season
While most European leagues, including the Premier League which was suspended until at least April 30, expressed hope in finishing their domestic seasons, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin warned that the entire campaign could be lost if football did not resume by the end of June.
Ceferin detailed the difficult options facing the body in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, outlining that “There is a plan A, B and C.” He explained the scenarios: “The three options are to start again in mid-May, in June or at the end of June. If we don’t succeed in restarting, the season will probably be lost.” He also floated the possibility of extending the current season into the beginning of the next one, thereby delaying the start of the 2020/2021 campaign.
The UEFA President acknowledged that playing the remaining games behind closed doors would have to be seriously considered across Europe as a primary alternative if restrictions on spectators remained in place. He stated that although it was hard to imagine matches without fans, “If there was no alternative, it would be better to finish the championships.”
A potential solution being explored to ease the resulting fixture congestion was a mini-tournament format to decide the later stages of the Champions League and Europa League.
