Following last week’s announcement that EURO 2020 will be shifted to next Summer, UEFA now announced the postponement of the Final of the Champions League, the Europa League as well as the women’s Champions League. The three showpiece matches were scheduled for May, but in view of the current coronavirus pandemic have been shifted indefinitely.
In a statement, UEFA said that a working group involving key European football stakeholders was currently analyzing the options available and that announcements will be made in due course.
Istanbul’s Ataturk Stadium was due to host the Champions League Final on 30th May, while Gdansk, Poland, was the chosen host city for the Europa League Final three days before. Vienna was the selected venue for the women’s Champions League Final on the 24th May.
Chaos is reigning supreme in the current UEFA competitions and there is yet no indication when the tournaments could resume. The Champions’ League came to an abrupt stop in the last 16 phase, with some ties being completed, while others were called off. PSG, Atalanta, Leipzig and Atletico Madrid have so far booked four of the eight quarter-final slots.
The risk of not completing this year’s competition would mean significant financial damage for both the international association, UEFA, as well as European clubs particularly those in Europe’s elite football competition. Last season, the latter shared almost 2 billion euro between prize money and revenue from TV rights.
uefa.com
