UEFA's plans to complete European leagues

UEFA’s plans to complete European leagues

The pandemic situation in the world is not slowing down and UEFA currently has three dates for club competitions to resume in Europe in the hope of being able to complete them by at least the end of July, early August.

Aleksander Ceferin maintains confidence

Despite the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic scenario remains somewhat black considering its spread in very worrying proportions, the truth is that UEFA remains confident that the club seasons will end in the summer.

In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the UEFA president confirmed that there are three possible scenarios for resumption of domestic competition in the most varied European leagues, as well as the final round of the Champions League and the Europa League.

In the first scenario, UEFA’s expectation is to be able to resume competitions at the end of May, something that is still possible as the pandemic could be stopped and mitigated during the next two months of April and May, thus boosting thinking about that return of the football at the end of May.

In the second scenario, and conjecturing greater timing for controlling the pandemic as well as preparing the teams for the return to competition, Aleksander Ceferin points to the beginning of June with the competitions being able to continue until the end of July or early August.

The last scenario that could allow the end of club competitions this season would be to resume the festivities only towards the end of June and then the competitions would necessarily have to extend until the month of August, probably occupying the whole month so that they could be concluded .

The UEFA president warned, however, that all of this is nothing more than plans that naturally may have to be adjusted as things evolve, after all it is a new virus that is still being studied so it will always be difficult appoint a safe date to resume club competitions in good time.

Solidarity must prevail in times of crisis

Many clubs and football players are experiencing many difficulties these days, not only because of fear or even the contraction of the coronavirus, but also because they have their future suspended.

Giant clubs like Atlético de Madrid, Barcelona or Juventus are already negotiating a salary reduction with their players so that they can stay afloat in times of difficulty, but this is not an exclusive problem for the big stars.

In Portugal, for example, Desportivo das Aves continues to face serious financial difficulties in the Liga NOS while many other clubs in the Second League or Championship of Portugal will be in genuine contortion maneuvers so as not to fail their commitments to the players.

The case is particularly delicate in the lower leagues as we are dealing with lower wages and with people who often depend on these wages to survive, namely with regard to commitments with credits, rent payments, etc …

The example from the Bundesliga

In a scenario like these, and despite everyone’s difficulties, it is up to the big clubs to set an example. And in the context of the Bundesliga, that was left bare with the four clubs that this season participated in the Champions League to have a truly supportive attitude. Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen have agreed to add 20 million euros to distribute to Bundesliga and 2.Bundesliga clubs that are facing greater difficulties.

This is true proof of solidarity in times of crisis that shows that in football, just like in real life, people can be kind and come together around a cause when things really get tough. The money derives from the television rights of the four clubs in domestic competitions (75%) and the coffers of the clubs in question (25%), and the DFL was able to reach an agreement with the clubs, as they have much higher revenues than the others for account of their participation in the Group Stage of the Champions League.

Hoping that the first plan is put into practice

Honestly, I hope that Aleksander Ceferin’s first plan can be put into practice and football will resume in May. And no, I am not thinking exclusively of the importance that this would have for the football industry, which would thus be able to conclude its seasons in a natural way, but I am fundamentally wanting it because, taking into account the sensitivity of UEFA, that would mean that the The Covid-19 pandemic would be practically dominated in those days, thus allowing the resumption of competition without too many restrictions, although the games behind closed doors could continue for some time.