Fate of Euro 2020 Hangs In Balance Amidst Coronavirus Scare
Originally, UEFA’s Euro 2020 was scheduled for this summer.
As of now, Euro 2020 is officially still scheduled to start in the middle of June.
However, some events related to the Coronavirus may precipitate a change.
What Happened
More European players and clubs are being affected by the Coronavirus.
Juventus defender Daniele Rugani was the first top-flight Italian player to contract the virus.
He has exposed his teammates and coaches. So they — including Ronaldo — have necessarily entered into isolation.
As a result, Juventus’ upcoming Champions League match with upstart Lyon has been postponed.
Domestically, the Serie A’s entire season is in jeopardy. As for now, the Serie A is suspended until April 3.
The trouble has extended to Real Madrid.
A Real Madrid basketball player was found to be infected with the virus.
This is important for the Real Madrid soccer team because it shares the same locker room with the basketball team.
As a result, there is serious danger that Real Madrid’s soccer players have contracted the virus.
Hence, all of Real Madrid’s soccer operations have been suspended.
Of course, Real will no longer face Man City in the Champions League as originally scheduled next week.
With Real Madrid now having entered quarantine, LaLiga has been suspended for at least two weeks.
Moreover, the top-flight domestic leagues in the Netherlands and Portugal have also been suspended.
As for now, Eredivisie isn’t scheduled to resume play until March 31. This is the earliest date.
Some of its matches have been postponed and they have yet to figure out when those postponed matches can be resumed.
As for the Primeira Liga, (Liga NOS) play has reportedly been suspended indefinitely.
A date for Portugal’s top-flight league being resumed has not been established.
Why Does This Matter?
The suspensions of play in European domestic leagues are decisive for whether Euro 2020 will be able to go on as scheduled this summer.
The reason why they matter is because they may have scheduling priority.
Euro 2020 will not likely happen at the cost of several domestic and international club leagues not being able to finish their season on time.
For starters, a number of legal issues would result as promotion and international qualification opportunities would be hampered.
These opportunities are a great source of profit for the benefiting clubs.
The domestic leagues and international club competition require time to reach a conclusion.
If play keeps getting suspended, then they won’t finish on time for Euro 2020 to start in mid-June.
So it’s not just a matter for one or two leagues.
Several different leagues have to figure out how they can safely and punctually finish their respective seasons.
Whether they are able to finish play on time hinges on developing medical news.
The Coronavirus continues to spread at an apparently alarming rate.
There remain many frightening unknowns particularly regarding how this virus can be contained.
So What Are The Options?
The pertinent authority figures are engaged in an emergency meeting.
They are discussing the fate of Euro 2020.
Options include postponing Euro 2020 until next summer — that is, until Summer 2021.
The entire event could, tragically, be canceled altogether.
Particular complications that could motivate complete cancellation of Euro 2020 revolve around worker contracts and scheduling conflicts with other international summer competitions.
The game plan is, reportedly, for UEFA to vote on the fate of Euro 2020 next week. So, stay tuned!
Originally, UEFA’s Euro 2020 was scheduled for this summer.
As of now, Euro 2020 is officially still scheduled to start in the middle of June.
However, some events related to the Coronavirus may precipitate a change.
What Happened
More European players and clubs are being affected by the Coronavirus.
Juventus defender Daniele Rugani was the first top-flight Italian player to contract the virus.
He has exposed his teammates and coaches. So they — including Ronaldo — have necessarily entered into isolation.
As a result, Juventus’ upcoming Champions League match with upstart Lyon has been postponed.
Domestically, the Serie A’s entire season is in jeopardy. As for now, the Serie A is suspended until April 3.
The trouble has extended to Real Madrid.
A Real Madrid basketball player was found to be infected with the virus.
This is important for the Real Madrid soccer team because it shares the same locker room with the basketball team.
As a result, there is serious danger that Real Madrid’s soccer players have contracted the virus.
Hence, all of Real Madrid’s soccer operations have been suspended.
Of course, Real will no longer face Man City in the Champions League as originally scheduled next week.
With Real Madrid now having entered quarantine, LaLiga has been suspended for at least two weeks.
Moreover, the top-flight domestic leagues in the Netherlands and Portugal have also been suspended.
As for now, Eredivisie isn’t scheduled to resume play until March 31. This is the earliest date.
Some of its matches have been postponed and they have yet to figure out when those postponed matches can be resumed.
As for the Primeira Liga, (Liga NOS) play has reportedly been suspended indefinitely.
A date for Portugal’s top-flight league being resumed has not been established.
Why Does This Matter?
The suspensions of play in European domestic leagues are decisive for whether Euro 2020 will be able to go on as scheduled this summer.
The reason why they matter is because they may have scheduling priority.
Euro 2020 will not likely happen at the cost of several domestic and international club leagues not being able to finish their season on time.
For starters, a number of legal issues would result as promotion and international qualification opportunities would be hampered.
These opportunities are a great source of profit for the benefiting clubs.
The domestic leagues and international club competition require time to reach a conclusion.
If play keeps getting suspended, then they won’t finish on time for Euro 2020 to start in mid-June.
So it’s not just a matter for one or two leagues.
Several different leagues have to figure out how they can safely and punctually finish their respective seasons.
Whether they are able to finish play on time hinges on developing medical news.
The Coronavirus continues to spread at an apparently alarming rate.
There remain many frightening unknowns particularly regarding how this virus can be contained.
So What Are The Options?
The pertinent authority figures are engaged in an emergency meeting.
They are discussing the fate of Euro 2020.
Options include postponing Euro 2020 until next summer — that is, until Summer 2021.
The entire event could, tragically, be canceled altogether.
Particular complications that could motivate complete cancellation of Euro 2020 revolve around worker contracts and scheduling conflicts with other international summer competitions.
The game plan is, reportedly, for UEFA to vote on the fate of Euro 2020 next week. So, stay tuned!
