Uefa is due to provide an update to all its 55 national associations at a video conference later today on their plans to finish the 2019-20 season.
European football’s governing body is undoubtedly hopeful to end the campaign in August, although with every league except for Belarus still suspended there are doubts over whether that deadline is realistically achievable.
To that end Uefa has set in motion two working groups with one specifically assessing the fixture calendar. It is hoped that specific proposals will be presented by mid-May at the latest.
The continuing uncertainty over the spread of coronavirus is certainly not helping in any way for sure, instead creating major issues, with different takeouts among the leagues. Some, including Germany and Denmark, are optimistic about a resumption next month, while others like England believe it will be June at the earliest before they can resume play. Other Premier League clubs feel it will be longer than that.
Uefa still harbours hope of completing its own tournaments in the normal two-legged format, albeit with the understanding that it may not be possible, so one-off games and a week-long mini-tournament from the quarter-finals onwards for both the Champions League and Europa League have also been discussed.
Tuesday’s meeting will be immediatley followed on Thursday by a meeting of the Uefa executive committee with the agenda expected to provide an update on the Womens’ European Championship and the Nations League, both of which have been moved to allow Euro 2020 to take place a year later than scheduled, plus plans to relax financial regulations this season.
In addition, it is anticipated, Uefa will confirm that it will harken to requests to end domestic leagues early, which it has previously warned against this, saying countries risk their places in next season’s European competitions.