UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin reported the ‘concrete timetable for the end of the European season’ along with the proposed amendments to the FFP. With this timetable, he stated, 80% of the national leagues will be completed.
“We have a concrete plan of finishing the European season. I think most of the leagues will finish the season. The ones who will not, it’s their decision, but they will still have to play qualifiers if they want to participate in UEFA competitions,” he told beIN Sports.
He added: “We have to wait for the executive committee of UEFA to confirm the dates, but I can say that the European season will be finished if everything is like it looks now in August.
“As things look now, I’m sure we can finish the European season and that means UEFA Competitions. The national leagues are a separate thing and they will decide separately how they want to proceed but as I said before; I think at least 80 per cent will finish the season.”
Ceferin states that the principles of the Financial Fair Play should be changed as a result of the financial crisis in Europe.
“The situation is extraordinary, and we will not pretend it’s not,” he said. “We will adapt the Financial Fair Play system, but the final decision, in which direction we will do it is not decided. So yes, we will adapt it. We think it’s important to adapt it, because the situation for the clubs is not easy and we are all in the same boat here.”
The president of the UEFA, who personally thought that Ligue 1 was ‘prematurely cancelled’, maintains that the actions of the respective governments do not impact the European Cups. Qualifying rounds for the European Cups typically start in June or July, but Ceferin is confident that UEFA does not have to change its calendar:
“For now, it looks like the calendar will not be much affected, especially the calendar of UEFA competitions. The calendar is very dense, and we don’t have much space to change things and my opinion is that it will stay the same. About the national leagues, it’s hard to say now.
“Some say they are thinking of starting a bit later, some will start normally, it’s too far. For European competitions, for the Europa League and the Champions League, we are of the view that it should stay the same.
“Maybe a day or two difference, but in principle it should, and I think it will stay the same.”
Even apart from the financial dimension and the temporal one, the President reassures fans that UEFA plans to complete the current campaign, which still includes Juventus, Napoli, Atalanta and Roma from Serie A.
