Paris (AFP)

"No Plan B" for European competitions in 2021, assures Aleksander Ceferin: optimistic about the health situation, the UEFA president said Thursday in an interview with AFP the next return "of good old football with spectators "and without neutral grounds.

Q: The "Final 8" of the Champions League has started in Lisbon. Have you ever imagined not taking up this challenge after these months of uncertainty?

A: "No, I was sure we would. I had some nervous moments, but I never gave up on this project. The only thing we didn't know was whether or not it was possible to do it. 'have spectators. Right now, all the teams are in Portugal, in a bubble, I'm much calmer. "

Q: In view of the resurgence of the virus in Europe, should we expect a new "Final 8" on neutral ground in 2021?

A: "I'm an optimist by nature and I think things will be better next year, that we can get back to normal football, the good old football with spectators. So we don't have a plan B. (.. .) The world can't stop forever because of this virus. I'm expecting a vaccine, sooner rather than later hopefully, so no we don't have a plan to do the same tournament next year."

Q: More generally, can this format inspire you in future reforms of European competitions from 2024?

A: "We are working day and night on the issues related to Covid-19, so everything post-2024 is a bit at a standstill, to be honest. This tournament (in 'Final 8') could be interesting in the future but I don't think we could do that because the schedule is too dense and we have to keep the domestic leagues in mind. I don't know when to insert a tournament of a week or two in May. I think that it is impossible (...) We will start in September to discuss the future of European or world football (...). We will bring together all the stakeholders and we will see what solution we find. "

Q: Cases of Covid-19 are already disrupting the preliminary rounds of the next European Cups. Do you have any concerns for next season?

A: "We don't imagine that the Champions League or the Europa League can be played on neutral ground. We are talking about the qualifiers that are taking place at the moment and the situation is, let's say, quite confused, because some countries are on the list. red, others on green list, some players could go to a country but have to comply with a quarantine on the return. There is a big problem, not only for the club competitions but also for the national teams, because the players come from different countries with different situations with the pandemic. "

Q: The Champions League and the Europa League represent around two billion euros per year in TV rights. You expect losses, how big will they be?

A: "It is too early to talk about the numbers and it is confidential on some points. But if the situation returns to normal, say by next year, everything will be as planned."

Q: The summer was dominated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling in favor of Manchester City over financial fair play. What future for this device?

A: "Financial fair play has been a very successful tool because the losses in European football are almost gone. But we need to modernize (it). We also need perhaps to talk about competitive balance. Competitive balance, it means that we have to see if those who overspend should pay for those who don't. "

Q: This is called the "luxury tax" ...

A: "Yes, we call it that. Some clubs want as much solidarity as possible, the bigger ones want as little as possible. So it takes a lot of discussion."

Q: So far you've always shied away from the idea of ​​a European Superleague that some big clubs want. Has your state of mind changed?

A: “The Champions League and the Europa League, just like UEFA, are serious brands. Any Superleague of 10, 12, 24 clubs will become boring. When you hear the Champions League anthem, you know what it is ... I don't see how that can be a success, even if they tried to. Believe me, when I talk to big clubs, there is one that mentions it every now and then. time, and half of another who mentions it every now and then. The rest fully understand that (the Champions League) is the best competition in football. "

Interview by Andy SCOTT.

© 2020 AFP