Football will outlast virus: Uefa chief Ceferin

LISBON • Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin is aiming to finish this year's Champions League by the end of August as football in Europe slowly starts to emerge from the shutdown brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.

"Our plan is to finish it between now and the end of August," he told Portuguese sports daily Record yesterday. "I think that will work. You never know what's going to happen but things seem to be calming down.

"Eighty per cent of European leagues are going to restart, I don't see why the Champions League and Europa League shouldn't take place."

His desired deadline gives clubs a chance to finish their domestic competitions - halted across Europe in March - before the Champions League restarts in early August.

Ceferin also told The Guardian he is confident football with fans will "come back very soon", despite the fear of spreading Covid-19 leading countries worldwide to halt large-scale events, including sporting competitions.

As such, the remainder of the Bundesliga will be played behind closed doors, and the expectation is that the Italian Serie A, the English Premier League and Spain's La Liga will do the same if they resume.

While Ceferin promised Uefa will follow the lead of guidelines published by government health and safety agencies, he does not feel football will be fundamentally altered by the Covid-19 crisis. He insisted Euro 2020, originally set for next month, will take place next summer.

"I don't think that this virus will last forever. I think it will (change) sooner than many think," he said. "I don't like this apocalyptic view that we have to wait for the second and third waves or even a fifth wave.

"Football didn't change after World War II, or World War I, and it will not change because of a virus either. I don't know why it (the Euros) wouldn't be (played)."

However, Ceferin acknowledged the unprecedented situation had cost his organisation "millions and millions" of dollars through the postponement of the Euros and the rescheduling of Champions League and Europa League fixtures.

"There is so much information (to take in) and so many calendar issues." he added. "The situation for Uefa is not that alarming, we're not in a dangerous situation (financially), but we still care about the clubs and the leagues and the stakeholders, so it is a lot of work."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS