Paris (AFP)

UEFA is cautious: faced with the resurgence of coronavirus in the Lisbon region, the Union of European Football Associations announced Thursday that its final Champions League tournament (12-23 August) would take place in camera closed in the Portuguese capital.

The president of the authority, Aleksander Ceferin, had left the time for reflection by indicating that the file of the presence or not of spectators for this new tournament would be "regularly evaluated". He decided on the eve of the draw for the final phase, scheduled for Friday in Nyon (10:00 GMT): the Big Ears Cup will most likely be awarded in 2020 without supporters in the stands.

"The UEFA Executive Committee has considered it prudent to make the decision to play UEFA matches behind closed doors until further notice," the body said in a statement, stating that the final stages of the Europa League and Women's Champions League, scheduled for August respectively in Germany and the Spanish Basque Country, were also affected by this measure. Just like the qualifying matches for the 2020-2021 editions of the European Cups taking place on a dry match, without a round-trip confrontation.

"UEFA is monitoring the situation and will propose any total or partial lifting of these arrangements in due time," added the European confederation.

The entry into force at the beginning of July of containment measures concerning some 20 districts in the northern suburbs of Lisbon, where outbreaks of contagion persisted, had fueled concerns about the sanitary conditions surrounding the UEFA competition.

The C1 must end from August 12 to 23 in two stadiums in the Portuguese capital, those of Benfica and Sporting. The quarter-finals, the semi-finals and the final are planned there, each confrontation being reduced to a single dry match instead of the usual round-trip format.

- Retraining measures -

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa hinted on Wednesday that the restructuring measures for these areas of the capital's northern belt, in effect until next Wednesday, should be extended at least until the end of July.

But UEFA has repeatedly argued that it does not have a "Plan B" to its Lisbon "Final 8".

The announcement was awaited by groups of supporters, who will have to support their team from their television.

"UEFA has been cautious so far, it is understandable that it remains so. Now, our vigilance is on other points: on the presence or not of artificial atmosphere, of images in reality increased to replace spectators, songs that could be added for TV broadcasting ", reacted to AFP Ronan Evain, director general of the Football Supporters Europe (FSE) network. "There is a fairly firm opposition from active groups (...). The closed session must apply to everyone."

- Lyon will be fine in Turin -

The European Football Confederation also formalized Thursday, on the eve of drawing the posters and the draw for its final tournament, that the 8th finals return not having been played, like Juventus Turin-Lyon, will take place on the team site to receive, behind closed doors.

UEFA had left open the possibility of organizing these matches in Portugal in the event of a worsening health situation, but underlines that "all the clubs having to play at home their return match are currently playing the remaining matches of their leagues domestic stadiums and that movement is possible without restrictions for visiting clubs. "

For its Europa League (C3), which will end in a similar format disputed in four stadiums in Germany, UEFA has taken the same decision for the six round of last 16 return remaining.

For the last two oppositions (AS Rome - Sevilla FC and Getafe - Inter Milan), in which even the first leg could not have taken place, the qualification for the quarters will be played in a dry match in Germany, as planned.

tsc-kca-jta-ama / jed / kau

© 2020 AFP