Lausanne (AFP)

Against the background of progressive deconfinement, the European Football Union (UEFA) convened several meetings this week to discuss the possible resumption of competitions despite the coronavirus. The first to decide could be Germany and Belgium, either behind closed doors or a final judgment.

For the time being, UEFA remains very cautious and according to sources close to the authorities, no major decision should emerge from this series of European meetings.

The week begins Tuesday with an information session for the 55 member federations of UEFA, to examine "developments concerning national competitions and European competitions".

Another meeting is scheduled for Wednesday with the European Association of Clubs (ECA) and the Association of European Leagues.

Then the government of the authority will meet by videoconference Thursday (from 10:00 am to noon / 8:00 am to 10:00 am GMT) to "take stock of the situation and discuss the latest developments concerning the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on European football" , said the European confederation.

"UEFA is working on a whole series of possible scenarios," said a source close to the body. "But nothing will be decided at the end of Thursday's meeting because it is still impossible given all the uncertainties about the deconfinement."

- Ceferin: "Options to start again" -

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, however, is proactive: "I think there are options for us to start the cups and championships again and finish them," he said in an interview with Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera.

"We may have to start without a spectator, but the most important thing is, I think, to play the matches," said the UEFA boss. "It is too early to say that we cannot finish the season. The impact would be terrible for clubs and championships. It is better to play behind closed doors than not at all."

Like most major sporting disciplines on the planet, football has seen its calendar turned upside down by the Covid-19 pandemic.

On March 17, an unprecedented decision in 60 years of the existence of the event, UEFA decided to postpone the Euro football tournament to the summer of 2021. The body based in Nyon (Switzerland) also suspended all its competitions of clubs "until further notice". The lucrative Men's Champions League and the Europa League were interrupted at the knockout stage, the women's C1 at the quarterfinals.

In early April, UEFA had outlined several scenarios before its member federations to resume the thread of national and European competitions this summer, with in particular a projection aiming to restart the matches in early June, and another in late June or early July.

Since then, as the health situation has worsened in Europe, no plan to return to competition has been finalized.

- The Bundesliga back in early May? -

Regarding European club competitions, Jean-Michel Aulas, president of Olympique Lyonnais and vice-president of ECA, however argued that "the decisions taken by UEFA are to play from 3 to 29 August". While wondering if OL will then have "the opportunity to travel by plane in early August to go to Turin" to face Juventus in the round of last 16 (first leg: 1-0).

Regarding the national championships, the German Football League (DFL), which is to meet on Thursday, hopes to receive the green light from the government for a return to competition, behind closed doors, in May. In Germany, all major gatherings are in principle banned until August 31.

"This week, important decisions will be made on how we will proceed," said Fritz Keller, president of the German Football Federation (DFB) to the bi-weekly sports newspaper Kicker.

And two regional leaders, Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia, suggested in the newspaper Bild that the Bundesliga could resume from May 9 "at the earliest" and behind closed doors.

Conversely, Belgium plans to end its season, a project which has earned it heavy threats from UEFA.

A meeting of all 24 Belgian professional clubs is scheduled for Friday. After negotiations with UEFA, the president of the Belgian Federation indicated that a "constructive solution" was about to be found with the European body.

© 2020 AFP