Faced with the Coronavirus pandemic which is affecting the whole world, sport will be forced to adapt. For Virginie Phulpin, it is necessary to suspend the football championships, the Champions League and shift the Euro by one year. It is imperative to decide in the sharp.
Sport stops to stem the coronavirus pandemic. And it reassures to see that even the sports that generate the most money, like football, are ready to participate in the health effort and to focus on the essentials.
When the country stops, how can football follow its little path as if nothing had happened? No. Football must participate in the collective effort. Who would understand that the schools are closed but that the matches continue to be played normally? French football authorities have understood this, no one is dragging their feet to defend their pre-square with apothecary accounts, and that is good news. The French football federation has already announced the suspension of all its competitions until further notice, from the amateur championships to the final of the Coupe de France. And the Professional League will follow this morning. Which means that Ligue 1 and 2 will be suspended. As is already the case in Spain and Italy.
What about Europe? UEFA will decide on the spot, because it has no choice, there are quarantined teams, contaminated players and already postponed matches. A crisis meeting will take place on Tuesday, they still have small problems with the concept of emergency, but the outcome is known. The European cups will be suspended, and the Euro will be postponed for a year. How would you like to organize an additional competition in 12 countries in three months? It's impossible, so we take note, and it will be played next year, whatever. And then it will stretch the season until July if necessary, to go to the end of the European championships and cups. So we respond to the health emergency, and we preserve sports equity. Very well.
All sports stop, not just football
Today was a turning point on Thursday. Every 10 minutes, there is a cancellation that falls. The tennis circuit goes to sleep, the biathlon world cup ends this weekend, it's already over for skiing, the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix canceled, the NBA suspended. In short, all sports, all over the world, stop. We always hear it said that sport today is a gigantic cash machine, stories of money on every floor. And there, honestly, nobody, or almost, is reluctant to participate in the health effort. And Virginie Phulpin would like to emphasize this, because in these troubled times, it proves that we also know how to forget what is incidental to focus on the essentials. And we really need these positive signs.