: Euro 2020 postponed until 2021 #IndiaNEWS #Sports Lausanne : The Euro 2020 soccer Championship, trumpeted as a continent-wide feast of football from Dublin to Baku to mark UEFA’s 60th anniversary,

@IndiaNEWS

Posted in: #IndiaNEWS #Sports

Euro 2020 postponed until 2021 #IndiaNEWS #Sports
Lausanne : The Euro 2020 soccer Championship, trumpeted as a continent-wide feast of football from Dublin to Baku to mark UEFA’s 60th anniversary, was postponed for a year on Tuesday as the coronavirus pandemic claimed its biggest sporting casualty yet.



The fate of the 24-nation, month-long showpiece due to
start in June had hung in the balance ever since Europe’s domestic leagues
began shutting down in the wake of the sweeping health crisis, which has killed
around 7,000 people worldwide.



UEFA eventually relayed the news after an emergency video
conference with all 55 of its affiliated national federations and
representatives from clubs and leagues.



“We are at the helm of a sport that vast numbers of
people live and breathe that has been laid low by this invisible and
fast-moving opponent,� UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said in a statement
confirming what the Norwegian and Swedish FAs had already leaked earlier in the
day.



“It is at times like these, that the football community
needs to show responsibility, unity, solidarity and altruism.�



Even as the video conference was ongoing, Norway’s FA
broke ranks to confirm via Twitter that the tournament had been postponed for
the first time in its history.



Swedish FA chairman Karl-Erik Nilsson also sent a message
to Reuters during the video conference. “Postponed until 11/6- 11/7 2021,� he
said.



It was a widely expected move, with pressure ramping up
from Europe’s big domestic soccer leagues.



Earlier, Reuters learned that UEFA had cancelled its
hotel bookings in Copenhagen, one of the 12 host cities staging the tournament.



The CPH Hotel said UEFA had booked 80 of its 102 rooms
but cancelled them a little over a week ago.



Europe’s flagship tournament, staged every four years and
second only to FIFA’s World Cup in terms of prestige in soccer, will now be
staged from June 11 to July 12, 2021.



Sixteen playoff matches were due to be held on March 26
and 31 to decide the full line-up of nations for the tournament. They will now
be played in the international window at the start of June, subject to a review
of the



situation.



The new coronavirus has infected almost 180,000 people
worldwide since emerging in China, and most of Europe now finds itself in
virtual lockdown as governments desperately try to stop the spread of the
disease.



The sporting calendar has been shredded, with a host of
blue-riband events cancelled and competitions suspended, and the fate of the
Tokyo Olympics this year now hangs in the balance.



All five of Europe’s top domestic soccer leagues —
England, Spain, Italy, France and Germany — are suspended, along with the
Champions League, Europa League and World Cup qualifiers.
The post Euro 2020 postponed until 2021 appeared first on The Navhind Times.

Stock Market NEWS Best intraday tips Intraday Stocks below 100

Share & Forward! Do Not Share

0 Reactions   React

Replies (0) Report

Login to post a comment!