Union of European Football Association, UEFA, has postponed Euro 2020 by one year until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
European football’s governing body made the decision during an emergency video conference involving major stakeholders on Tuesday.
The tournament, due to take place between 12 June – 12 July this summer, will now run from 11 June to 11 July next year.
The postponement provides a chance for European leagues that have been suspended to now be completed.
By moving the European Championship, Uefa now has a clash with the Women’s European Championship, which is due to be held in England in 2021, beginning on 7 July.
The Nations League and the European Under-21 Championships are also scheduled to take place next summer.
Uefa said all three events will be “rescheduled accordingly”, but it is currently unclear if that involves minor tweaks to dates, or large-scale postponements.
In delaying Euro 2020, Uefa said it wanted to avoid “placing any unnecessary pressure on national public services” of its 12 host countries, as well as helping allow domestic competitions to be finished.
“We are at the helm of a sport that vast numbers of people live and breathe that has been laid low by this invisible and fast-moving opponent,” said Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin.
“It is at times like these, that the football community needs to show responsibility, unity, solidarity and altruism.
“The health of fans, staff and players has to be our number one priority and in that spirit, Uefa tabled a range of options so that competitions can finish this season safely and I am proud of the response of my colleagues across European football.
“There was a real spirit of co-operation, with everyone recognising that they had to sacrifice something in order to achieve the best result.”
Ceferin said it was important Uefa “led the process and made the biggest sacrifice”, adding it comes “at a huge cost” but “purpose over profit has been our guiding principle in taking this decision for the good of European football as a whole”. (BBC)