EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP. Photo taken on March 17, 2020 shows a general view of Wembley Stadium in London, Britain. UEFA confirmed on Tuesday that the European Championship scheduled to take place in June and July this year, will be postponed until 2021 over the concerns of the rapid spreading of Covid-19. (Photo by Ray Tang/Xinhua)
GENEVA – FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Tuesday proposed a postponement of next year’s Club World Cup in China after Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) postponed the European Championship until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
South America's Copa America, scheduled for this June and July, has also been delayed by a year.
In a statement, Infantino said the world is facing an "unprecedented health challenge," and a global and collective response is needed.
"In this respect, FIFA has received the requests from CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation) and UEFA to postpone respectively the 2020 Copa América and the UEFA EURO 2020 to the June/July of 2021 in a slot previously reserved for the FIFA Confederations Cup and now currently reserved for the new FIFA Club World Cup," said the FIFA president.
He said particularly in football, finding appropriate and fair solutions at the global level is imperative.
"This requires unity, solidarity, and a shared sense of responsibility, and we need to think of all those around the world potentially impacted by our decisions," said Infantino.
He said FIFA had been continuously discussing with confederations, member associations, and other stakeholders from around the world, also bearing in mind that health and sporting solidarity are paramount considerations for the world of football.
Infantino said he would suggest the postponements to FIFA's Bureau of the Council to accept the delays.
The Bureau of the Council deals with all matters requiring immediate settlement between two meetings of the FIFA Council. (Anadolu)
