UEFA official says issue of Euro Cup host cities’ readiness may be settled by May

UEFA official says issue of Euro Cup host cities’ readiness may be settled by May
# 09 April 2020 18:38 (UTC +04:00)

A decision regarding the European cities, which will host matches of the rescheduled 2020 UEFA Euro Cup, is likely to be made on April 30, Alexei Sorokin, the head of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) Russia-2020, said, APA reports citing TASS.

Britain’s Daily Mail reported earlier in the day that the European governing body of football was considering the alteration of the multi-country format of the rescheduled Euro Cup, stating in particular that Italy’s Rome and Bilbao were likely to withdraw from the organization of matches due to the consequences of the ongoing global spread of the novel coronavirus.

"I would rather listen to UEFA’s official statements instead of opinions voiced by particular media outlets, although they are respected media outlets," Sorokin, who also serves as a member of the UEFA Executive Committee, said.

"As of today, all host cities are participating in regular videoconferences and we have discussions with all of them," Sorokin continued. "We will reach the all-embracing understanding before the deadline on the application of documents, which must confirm the extension of all guarantees for the next year."

"It will be the indication whether a particular host city is ready or not to carry on [with the organization of the UEFA Euro Cup matches]," the UEFA official said.

"All host cities have time to think it over until the end of the month," Sorokin said. "Everything will be clear on April 30, when we know which of the Euro Cup host cities will carry on with the organization of the Euro Cup matches and which of them decide to quit this process."

On March 17, UEFA decided to postpone the 2020 UEFA Euro Cup for exactly one year as a preventive measure against COVID-19. The championship is now scheduled to be held between June 11 and July 11, 2021. The European governing body of football also announced on March 13 the suspension of the Champions League and Europa League matches.

The matches of the 2020 Euro Cup were initially scheduled to be held at stadiums in 12 different cities across Europe, namely in London (England), Munich (Germany), Rome (Italy), Baku (Azerbaijan), St. Petersburg (Russia), Bucharest (Romania), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Dublin (Ireland), Bilbao (Spain), Budapest (Hungary), Glasgow (Scotland) and Copenhagen (Denmark) between June 12 and July 12, 2020.

A decision to hold the 2020 Euro Cup, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, in various European countries instead of in one or two hosting countries was made at the UEFA Executive Committee’s meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on December 6, 2012.

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