Almost all football in Europe currently remains suspended due to the spread of the disease and along with the various domestic leagues, the Champions League and the Europa League are also in limbo.
Right now, all of the countries are trying hard to wrap up their own domestic leagues and UEFA is helping them in every way possible. But the reality is, the governing body of football in Europe also need to finish their own tournaments before the 2020-21 season resumes.
UEFA have already postponed the EURO 2020 to the next year but Uefa’s president Aleksander Ceferin had made it clear that while the Champions League and the Europa League can be postponed but a considerable delay is not the best way out.
“We can’t play it out in September or October,” Ceferin told ZDF Sport studio, as quoted by BBC.
“If the authorities do not allow us to play, then we cannot play. We are waiting for the development of this terrible situation in the world, and mainly in Europe.
“It is still better to play the game behind closed doors and have it on TV, which is what the people need and want because it brings positive energy to their homes, than not playing at all.”
When does the UEFA Champions League resume?
And finally, after weeks of pondering, it seems like UEFA have finally come up with a possible date when they plan to resume the remaining matches in the UCL.
Lyon are still to take on Juventus in the 2nd leg of the Round of 16 and as per the French club’s president, this game will be played on the 7th of August in Turin inside an empty stadium.
Lyon chief Jean-Michel Aulas told RTL, as quoted by Mirror: “Our match against Juventus has been confirmed for August 7, it will be held in Turin behind closed doors.
“If our legal actions don’t succeed (to restart the 19/20 Ligue 1 season), Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain will be massacred by teams who have had preparation.”
This is great news for the football means and if Aulas is right then the first week of August at this point in time is the possible time frame when UEFA plans to resume the Champions League and also hopefully the Europa League.
Here are the matches left in the Round of 16:
Juventus vs Lyon – 2nd leg to be played in Italy.
Man City vs Real Madrid – 2nd leg to be played in England.
Bayern Munich vs Chelsea – 2nd leg to be played in Germany.
Barcelona vs Napoli – 2nd leg to be played in Spain.
