Can UEFA last a long time before deciding to stop everything?

• The coronavirus epidemic is spreading more and more in Europe, impacting all sectors of activity.
• Sport is obviously not spared, and many organizations have decided to interrupt all their competitions until further notice.
• UEFA, on the other hand, has not yet suspended the European football cups, nor taken a position on the Euro, which is supposed to open in June.

The art of not deciding. Or in any case to push back the inevitable to the maximum, just to be sure that there would not be an exit door somewhere in the false ceiling that no one had yet noticed. As the coronavirus epidemic continues to spread across Europe, UEFA announced on Thursday that it will not suspend competition immediately. The round of 16 first leg of the Europa League therefore took place in the evening, except Sevilla FC-AS Rome and Inter-Getafe, put on hold under pressure from the clubs concerned and of which we do not know what will happen.

The body decided to wait a bit. "UEFA has invited representatives from its 55 members, the European Club Association, National Leagues and Fifpro to participate in a meeting by videoconference on Tuesday 17 March to discuss the response to be given by European football to the epidemic, she said at midday. Discussions will cover all domestic and European competitions, including the Euro. "

Details on European football's #coronavirus crisis videoconference for Tueday when they will discuss whether to continue playing competitions. # euro2020 3 months away pic.twitter.com/vy53XSrrmv

What can they lead to, apart from stopping everything? We do not see well. The announcement of a positive test by a Juventus player, Daniele Rugani, Wednesday evening, could have started everything. The NBA did not hesitate after that of Rudy Gobert. ATP and WTA didn't even wait to get there to put the male and female circuits on hold for six weeks.

Deciding only next Tuesday may come as a surprise. If the two 8th finals return of the Champions League supposed to be played that evening, OL-Juventus and Manchester City-Real Madrid, are already postponed due to the quarantine imposed on Italian and Spanish players, those of the next day (Barça-Naples and Bayern-Chelsea) are for the moment maintained. In camera, but maintained. Players will be left in limbo until the last moment.

The Euro in 2021, "the most probable hypothesis"

UEFA therefore seems to be doing everything it can to save time. According to L'Equipe , it would however have made its choice: The Champions League and the Europa League would be provisionally suspended, probably until the end of April, and the Euro postponed to the summer of 2021 to clear dates in order to complete the competitions started.

"This is the most likely hypothesis. The scenario has been studied in detail, says Aurélien Sadrin, writer-analyst at News Tank Football, an information agency for managers. But nothing is decided. For the moment, UEFA has only met with the leaders of the five main European leagues. "A member of the executive committee, contacted by us, confirms:" There have been absolutely no major decisions taken to date. "

Towards an imminent suspension of the Champions League? via @ 20minutesSport https://t.co/UQ9diXUDyp

Associated Press journalist Rob Harris, well-informed about what's going on in the upper echelons, said that UEFA plans to hold an internal vote on the issue of postponing the Euro. The decision cannot be taken lightly, and that is surely what prevents the body from ruling firmly. Only a world war, until now, was right in sporting competitions of the scale of a European championship.

But since there will not be enough days in the ultra-tight calendar of football to allow to navigate by sight, it will be necessary to decide. And how to choose, then, between the end of the current championships and cups and the holding of a Euro? On purely economic criteria? The Champions League TV rights market weighs more than 3 billion euros per season, while the Euro market is estimated at around 1 billion euros.

Ticketing, "most sensitive problem" of a postponement of the Euro

The argument argues in favor of the scenario announced as a priority. But it is not so simple, according to Aurélien Sadrin. "I'm not sure they reason like that," said our analyst. Already, UEFA cannot decide this alone. Next summer, the new formula for the Fifa club world championship is scheduled, for example. There are also 12 countries involved. And then there is not only TV rights, there is sponsorship, ticketing, etc. "

Ticketing is precisely "the most sensitive problem", considers Jacques Lambert, the former president of the organizing company for Euro 2016. Asked by AFP, he developed: "How to anticipate vis-à-vis of spectators the attitude to have insofar as even UEFA does not know the traffic conditions which will be imposed in three months? This cannot be improvised at the last moment, except to decide that all the matches will take place behind closed doors. "

Is it better to play on the scheduled date but without supporters or a year later in full stadiums? This is one of dozens of questions that UEFA must take into account before deciding. Which should not have prevented him, meanwhile, from announcing a clear cut to his competitions.

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• Uefa
• Sport
• Champions League
• Coronavirus
• Soccer
• Europa League