UEFA reiterated on Saturday its plans to hold EURO 2020 in its originally planned format, with 12 cities across Europe serving as host sites next June and July.
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A newspaper report earlier on Saturday claimed that UEFA was in discussions to move the tournament in its entirety to the United Kingdom amid concerns about teams and fans being able to freely travel between countries amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
But, a UEFA spokesman has since told Sky Sports that the original plan remains in place seven months ahead of the rescheduled tournament.
Given it possesses at least a dozen 40,000-plus-capacity stadiums from London, to Manchester, to Liverpool, to Birmingham, to Glasgow, to Cardiff, the UK is uniquely positioned to host a tournament like the European Championship at a moment’s notice.
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As for the question of fans being allowed to attend EURO 2020 games next summer, things are still very much up in the air and could vary from one location to the next, provided the tournament isn’t moved to a single site.“Given the uncertainties surrounding COVID — over which neither UEFA nor the local organizing bodies have control — it is currently too early to say whether those games in June and July will have restrictions either on fans or even their staging.
“UEFA’s efforts are currently focused on planning for a tournament in all 12 venues with fans.
“Decisions that run counter to that plan could be made much nearer the time, if necessary, but there are presently no plans to change any venue.”Follow @AndyEdMLS