"Stop". "Again" … In the crisis caused by the Covid-19 epidemic, football Europe is divided. When some national championships choose to put an end to the current season, others push to finish the competitions that were interrupted in mid-March. At the “summit”, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the governing body of European football, seems to have lost its certainties and abandons the threatening tone which, even a few days ago, was its own: it n 'no longer demands that national competitions be brought to an end and no longer brandishes the threat of sanctions for countries which do not do so.
Reality prevails in the little world of football. The epidemic caused by the coronavirus is still not contained and, above all, the evolution of the health situation is not the same from one country to another, which leads European governments to adopt approaches sometimes. different or delayed in time, especially with regard to containment / deconfinement measures. Football, like all economic sectors, must submit to it.
Situation review.
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Page Contents
The Dutch first to throw in the towel, the Belgians could follow
The Dutch football federation has decided, Friday, April 24, the final stop of the championship given the decision of the government to ban public events until 1er September. The season will be white: there will be neither champion nor downhill (nor promotion for the lower division).
In Belgium, where the government has banned "Mass events" until August 31, the League, which announced on March 25 its desire to end the season, could act on this decision at a general club meeting on Monday, April 27. Could, because the prospect was not unanimous in recent days.
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German clubs ready to resume May 9
The German clubs, which have already resumed training since early April, announced Thursday that they are ready to resume matches from May 9 to play the remaining nine days of their championship. As large rallies remain prohibited until at least August 31, this resumption, if approved by the authorities, can only be done behind closed doors. "With precautions, closed matches are certainly possible again", said Tuesday the Minister of Health, Jens Spahn.
Since the championship was put on hold on March 13, the German Football League and clubs have continued to demand the possibility of ending the season. The challenge ? He is financial. If the championship is closed on June 30, they will be able to receive the remaining television rights due, which is around 300 million euros.
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Serie A and Liga awaiting government decision
Italians and Spaniards also intend to end the current season. In Italy, the clubs of Serie A, the first division, reaffirmed on Tuesday their will to resume training from May 4, then to play matches in late May-early June. The Italian Football Federation announced on Thursday its intention to adopt " A resolution " postponing from the end of June to August 2 the end of the season.
The Spanish sports ministry said on Friday that footballers (and basketball players) could resume training by May 18 or 25. La Liga President Javier Tebas intends to play the last matches of the season behind closed doors from the end of May, the beginning of June or the end of June, in order to avoid losses estimated at 1 billion euros in the event stop.
While many players report their concerns, the Spanish championship "Work with medical services to start testing (screening) the 28 (April) ", a source in La Liga told Agence France-Presse. The players' association recalled that these "Have made it clear that other groups in society need more testing and access to health facilities".
"In the coming days, after consultations with the Minister of Health and the scientific technical committee, we will adopt provisions regarding the possibility and the procedures for resuming training"said Italian sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora on Wednesday. "The Ministry of Health will determine the path to follow", also said this week the Spanish Minister of Culture and Sports, José Manuel Rodriguez Uribes.
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In France, the call of … June 17
For French Ligue 1, the goal is to resume the championship on June 17. The president of the Federation, Noël Le Graët, however said on Friday that he wishes to play in the final of the Coupe de France (PSG-Saint-Étienne) on June 13 or 20, then in the final of the Coupe de la League (PSG-Lyon) three days later before resuming the Championship.
In any case, the government will decide. Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu said in an interview with the team Wednesday, that his services "Work on recovery protocols with sports doctors".
She insisted that football will have no screening skills and that"No consideration will take precedence over the health of athletes". The latter have expressed their concerns, the players' union asking for the season to be stopped if the security conditions are not met.
UEFA still wants the national championships to resume and end before August 3, so that it can then organize the end of the European Cups, with a Champions League final on August 29. It is, for her, the payment of television rights, the Champions League being the competition which brings her the most. However, the European body has not yet formally adopted this scheme. Meeting on Thursday, its steering committee decided nothing to that effect. It will meet again on May 27.
If, a few days ago, UEFA had threatened to exclude from the European Cups next year clubs playing in championships that would put an end to a judgment "Premature" and " unjustified " this season, she’s not on that hard line anymore. If the championships stop, tickets for Europe next season will be issued to "Sporting merit". It will be up to the national leagues to decide.
