The UEFA Executive Committee met today via videoconference. It
received updates on the Working Groups established in partnership with
the European Club Association (ECA), European Leagues (EL) and FIFPRO
Europe. Of the two scenarios being examined by the Calendar Working
Group, both envisage domestic football starting before UEFA club
competitions, with one seeking to run the competitions in parallel and
the other to complete domestic matches before re-starting UEFA matches
in August.
The Committee heard of the work of the newly-established Medical sub group, chaired by Professor Tim Meyer, examining the health issues surrounding a return to football, which is working alongside the ECA and EL to link the work already being done by leagues and clubs to produce a set of guidelines which will align with the best health protocols available. The Committee valued the unity shown across European football and the emphasis being placed on prioritising health in trying to establish a path to football’s return.
As
a result of representations made by the football authorities in Belgium
and Scotland, the Committee recognises the issues raised and approved
the Guidelines on eligibility principles for 2020/21 UEFA club
competitions. The Guidelines reflect the principle that admission to
UEFA club competitions is always based on sporting merit.
Therefore,
UEFA urges National Associations and Leagues to explore all possible
options to play all top domestic competitions giving access to UEFA club
competitions to their natural conclusion. However, UEFA stresses that
the health of players, spectators and all those involved in football as
well as the public at large must remain the primary concern at this
time.
The ideal scenario, should the pandemic situation permit it,
is to have the currently suspended domestic competitions completed
enabling football clubs to qualify for UEFA club competitions on
sporting merit in their original format. Should this outcome not be
possible, in particular due to calendar issues, it would be preferable
that suspended domestic competitions would restart with a different
format in a manner which would still facilitate clubs to qualify on
sporting merit.
While using best efforts to complete the domestic
competitions, National Associations and/or Leagues might have legitimate
reasons to prematurely terminate their domestic competitions, in
particular in the following cases:
• existence of an official
order prohibiting sports events so that the domestic competitions cannot
be completed before a date that would make it possible to complete the
current season in good time before the next season to start.
•
insurmountable economic problems which make finishing the season
impossible because it would put at risk the long-term financial
stability of the domestic competition and/or clubs.
If a domestic
competition is prematurely terminated for legitimate reasons in
accordance with the above conditions, UEFA would require the National
Association concerned to select clubs for the UEFA club competitions
2020/21 based on sporting merit in the 2019/20 domestic competitions:
•
the procedure for selecting clubs should be based on objective,
transparent and non-discriminatory principles. National Associations and
Leagues, should otherwise have the ability to decide the final
positions in their domestic competitions, having regard to the specific
circumstances of each competition;
• the final determination of
eligible places for the UEFA club competitions should be confirmed by
the relevant competent bodies at domestic level.
UEFA reserves the
right to refuse or evaluate the admission to any club proposed by a
National Association from a prematurely terminated domestic competition
in particular where:
• the domestic competitions have not been
prematurely terminated based on the reasons given in these UEFA
guidelines or on the basis of any other legitimate public health
reasons;
• the clubs were selected pursuant to a procedure which
was not objective, transparent and non-discriminatory so that the
selected clubs could not be considered as having been qualified on
sporting merit;
• there is a public perception of unfairness in the qualification of the club.
UEFA EURO 2020
Following
the postponement of UEFA EURO 2020 to the summer of 2021 and after a
thorough internal review as well as several discussions with partners,
the Executive Committee has decided that the tournament will still be
known as UEFA EURO 2020.
This decision allows UEFA to keep the
original vision of the tournament to celebrate the 60th anniversary of
the European Football Championships (1960 – 2020).
It will
furthermore serve to remember how the whole football family came
together to respond to the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19
pandemic and the difficult times Europe, and the world, had to go
through in 2020.
This choice is in line with UEFA’s commitment to
make UEFA EURO 2020 sustainable and not to generate additional amounts
of waste. A lot of branded material had already been produced by the
time of the tournament’s postponement. A change to the name of the event
would have meant the destruction and reproduction of such items.
UEFA European Under 21 Championship
The
Committee heard that options for rearrangement or postponement of the
tournament will be presented and analysed by the National Team
Competitions Committee on 11 May, with a final decision being taken at
the Executive Committee on 27 May 2020.
The next meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee is scheduled for 27 May 2020.
Source: uefa.com
