UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin is confident “good old football with fans will come back very soon” despite the chaos caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
UEFA President. Photo credit: Goal.com
The Bundesliga made a successful return to action behind closed doors at the weekend and many other leagues are preparing to resume in front of empty stands, with Ceferin sure the situation will soon improve.
Domestic and continental club competitions were halted across Europe in mid-March due to the COVID-19 crisis and Euro 2020 was postponed.
Asked whether he would bet a million dollars that Euro 2020 would be played in 2021, the chief of European football’s governing body said: “Yes, I would. I don’t know why it wouldn’t be. “I don’t think that this virus will last forever. I think it will (change) sooner than many think.
“I don’t like this apocalyptic view that we have to wait for the second and third waves or even a fifth wave.” Ceferin said football would follow the recommendations of the authorities but he was optimistic that normal service could be resumed in the near future.
“I’m absolutely sure, personally, that good old football with fans will come back very soon,” he said. And UEFA’s Ceferin said he did not expect the football game to be profoundly changed by the coronavirus.
“Football didn’t change after the Second World War, or First World War, and it will not change because of a virus either,” he said.
Speaking on the manchester city UEFA ban, Ceferin says ‘too many people’ are commenting on topics they ‘do not have a clue about’ regarding Manchester City’s two-year ban from European competition, as he suggested changes could be made to Financial Fair Play regulations in the future.
City were handed the ban, as well as a €30million fine, for ‘serious breaches’ of the FFP rules. The club have always maintained their innocence and their intention to appeal, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport yesterday setting a date for their case to be heard next month.
The June 8-10 hearing means City could find out whether they will be allowed to compete in next season’s Champions League competition before the suspended 2019/20 campaign finishes.
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