29 March 2020

'Football season will probably be lost if it does not resume by the end of June', says UEFA President

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has warned the 2019/20 football season could be lost if it does not resume by the end of June.

The current campaign has been halted by the coronavirus outbreak, with football across the continent suffering various suspensions.

And with the summer's European Championships being postponed until 2021, Ceferin believes there are three realistic options for the domestic season.

Speaking to La Repubblica, he said: "If we don't succeed in restarting, the season will probably be lost.

"There is a plan A, B and C. The three options are to start again in mid-May, in June or at the end of June.

"There is also the possibility of starting again at the beginning of the next [season], starting the following one later. We will see the best solution for leagues and clubs."

Ceferin also said if there was 'no alternative' then leagues would have to accept playing matches behind closed doors as a feasible solution.

All elite football in England has been suspended until April 30, with experts believing the UK is still two to three weeks away from the peak of the virus.

Meanwhile, players at some of the biggest clubs around Europe such as Borussia Dortmund and Juventus have taken pay cuts and pay freezes in order to help their clubs cope with the period of no matches.

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