UEFA postpones Euro 2020 for a year due to Coronavirus

As a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, national and international football has been temporarily halted. On Tuesday, UEFA examined the scenarios for a possible continuation of its competitions and with nobody able to predict the exact conclusion to the pandemic, committee members were able to agree on the guidelines, rules and priorities for future rearrangements. Prior to these decisions being made, UEFA leaders consulted with the leaders of national federations and clubs and asked for their opinions on how to resolve the situation.

From the point of view of the Hungarian national team led by head coach Marco Rossi, it is of primary importance to know from decision-makers whether they wish for the UEFA Euro 2020 play-off matches to be held on June's official FIFA match days, the currentsituation permitting. The remainder of the Champions League could also be rearranged for this summer.

As for the European Championship, UEFA plans to move it to a time when the current health conditions are unlikely to be an obstacle anymore, with the tournament scheduled to run from June 11 to July 10, 2021 under essentially similar conditions to those in place for this year's event. Of course, UEFA will provide fans who have already bought tickets for Euro 2020 with the opportunity to receive a full refund if they cannot attend therearranged fixtures.

In a statement, UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said that in the face of the international crisis, football has shown its best face: "It has been possible to find a consensus of opinion thanks to the openness, solidarity and tolerance of all those involved".

A detailed schedule and calendar of events will be developed by a UEFA working group in the near future, among those events to be discussed the 2021 Under-21 European Championship, which will be jointly hosted by Hungary.

Hungary coach Marco Rossi responded to UEFA's decision on mlsz.hu:

"Recently, we have been focusing on the European Championship play-offs with all our nerve and energy, because it would be a great opportunity for the Hungarian national team and fans to reach a tournament they'd be jointly hosting and to participate in such a special event". "However, these days, there is something more important than football; fighting for our family, friends and our own health. As an Italian, I know very well how testing and serious this situation is, so it is understandable that it is not possible to make a definite decision on the future of this competition at this time, but we are preparing in appropriate fashion for the decision that we are making. The most important thing now is for us all to stay at home, so that we can reduce the speed and spread of the virus. If we achieve this together and get through this difficult time, we will be able to focus again on achieving our aims in football. Whenever we need to step onto the pitch next, we will be ready! In the meantime, our mutual task is one we can only achieve together!"