The FA and UEFA have no plan to use England as sole host for European Championships - reports
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Published 03/03/2021 at 13:14 GMT
There had been speculation that UEFA could scrap its plan to host the delayed Euro 2020 in 12 cities across Europe, moving all remaining matches to England on top of the games already scheduled for Wembley Stadium and Scotland’s Hampden Park in Glasgow. But it is understood that The FA believe it is too late to put venues aside to stage fixtures - and that UEFA wants to stick to its format.
Wembley Stadium is already due to host seven matches at the delayed Euro 2020
Image credit: Getty Images
The Football Association and UEFA have ruled out the possibility of moving most of the European Championships to England this summer, according to reports.
With the coronavirus pandemic still likely to have an impact on who can and cannot attend matches, there had been a suggestion that the majority of the tournament could switch from being held across 12 cities in Europe to the UK, which should have given a first dose of a vaccine to the majority of the population by the time it starts.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told The Sun earlier this week that England could step up if needed. London’s Wembley Stadium and Glasgow’s Hampden Park in Scotland are already due to stage fixtures, with England’s national stadium due to host seven games, including the semi-finals and final.
Euro 2020 has already been delayed from last summer. According to The Times and Sky Sports, The FA believes it is too late to put further stadiums in place and that it would be “logistically difficult” to do so.
A spokesman for UEFA also said European football’s governing body is committed to sticking to its original plan, and that no contingencies are being pursued.
One source told The Times that “changing now would come at a huge cost to UEFA”, as training grounds have already been identified across the 12 host countries, with hotels, travel and sponsorship also put in place.
The paper also says that there is a concern about Scotland’s cautious approach to the health situation, as it is understood the devolved government has proposed the lowest number of fans to be permitted inside Hampden than any other venue.
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