Coronavirus may continue to influence the international football schedule for “two to three years” more, says a member of UEFA’s executive committee.
Lars-Christer Olsson, president of European Leagues, states that it will be a case of “wait and see” to assess the disruption of the pandemic, including on the 2022 Qatar World Cup. “I think maybe two or three years,” he said to ESPN.
Following the global suspension of football and the delay of Euro 2020 and Euro 2021, during Soccerex webinar he was questioned how long he felt it would impact the international calendar.
Earlier, he had told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast that there was “no agreement” between countries on ending the domestic season, because each nation faces specific virus and policy decisions situations.
Olsson finally said he can “see a situation where the existing season isn’t over than not kicking off the new season.”
UEFA hopes the Champions League and Europa League will be completed in August. A decision on whether this is possible is expected to be made at the end of May. Meanwhile, FIFA has already stated that matches should not resume before September.
There are now proposals to fit three- rather than two- fixtures into international windows this autumn to match qualifications for Euro 2020 and fixtures for the League of Nations.
