UEFA gives European leagues May 25 deadline for restart plans

European football leagues have been given a May 25 deadline to inform governing body UEFA of their plans to restart their domestic competitions.

Soccer has ground to a halt in all major leagues in Europe and none have yet to resume. But UEFA is keen to start planning for next season’s European club tournaments.

In a letter to the 55 federations in UEFA, president Aleksander Ceferin wrote that any league cancelling its season would need to produce a list of teams that have qualified for European club competitions, also by May 25.

“National Associations and/or Leagues should be in a position to communicate to UEFA by 25 May 2020 the planned restart of their domestic competitions including the date of restart and the relevant competition format,” Ceferin wrote.

“In the event that a domestic competition is to be prematurely terminated for legitimate reasons... UEFA would require the National Association to explain by 25 May 2020 the special circumstances justifying such premature termination and to select clubs for the UEFA club competitions 2020/21 on the basis of sporting merit in the 2019-20 domestic competitions,” he added.

The sport has been brought to a standstill by the pandemic, with the Euro 2020 competition postponed until next year and both national leagues and continental club competitions on hold.

UEFA has made it clear that it wants its member associations to complete their domestic seasons rather than abandon them. It also hopes to finish the Champions League and Europa League competitions.

While leagues such as the German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A and English Premier League say they want to finish their seasons, the Dutch football federation (KNVB) called an end to the 2019-20 season on Friday, as the Eredivisie cut short its season and said there would be no title awarded and no relegations or promotions — a decision strongly criticised by some of the affected clubs.

No team will be declared champions after Ajax and AZ Alkmaar were left level on points at the top of the table with nine games still to play.

“Unfortunately, given the measures (banning large-scale gatherings) taken by the government, it became impossible to finish the 2019-2020 season,” the KNVB said in a statement.

“Public health always comes first. It’s not just a football problem here given what the coronavirus is doing to society. Nonetheless, the professional football committee is aware that today’s decisions are going to cause great disappointment for some,” it added.

Leaders Ajax, above AZ on goal difference, will qualify for next season’s Champions League, according to the KNVB, which will await a definitive verdict from UEFA on May 25.

AZ will likely enter the competition’s preliminary rounds, with Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven and Willem II set to compete in the Europa League based on the final standings. It marks the first time since 1945 the Dutch season has finished without a league champion.

“As a player and as a club you naturally want to become champion,” Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar told the club’s website.

“You want to show it on the field and we have been at the top all year round. It is a pity that you are not declared champion, but in this situation that may be understandable. There are more important things at the moment than football.”

Meanwhile, FIFA said on Monday it is proposing five substitutions per match when football resumes, to help players cope with the increase in the number of games.

The world governing body has sent its proposal to the International Board (IFAB), the guardian of the laws of the game, which has to approve it before it can be implemented by national leagues, a FIFA spokesman said.

“When the competition resumes, the calendars will be overloaded with a higher than usual number of matches,” he said.

“The safety of the players is one of FIFA’s priorities. One of the concerns is that the high frequency of matches may increase the potential risk of injuries,” he added.

To address these concerns, FIFA has made a proposal to the IFAB to “temporarily relax Law 3 of the game to allow for a greater number of substitutions. Each team could make five substitutions during regulation time plus a sixth substitution during overtime.”

Agencies