AP source: UEFA to decide on plan to postpone Euros a year

UEFA is nearing a decision to postpone the European Championship by a year to 2021 as the continent grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.

The governing body has been assessing the options over how and when its flagship national teams' competition can be staged amid an escalating public health emergency. A final decision will come when the UEFA executive committee meets on Tuesday after talks with clubs and leagues.

But the person said delaying Euro 2020 by a year is the main option now being explored at UEFA, which had been insisting publicly up to this week that the 24-team tournament would go ahead as planned.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss talks about the sport's response to the spread of COVID-19 that was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on Wednesday.

This was already shaping up to the be the most challenging Euros ever staged by UEFA because 12 stadiums in 12 different nations were being used, starting in Rome on June 12 and ending on July 12 with the final at Wembley.

Postponing the European Championship provides potential space in the calendar for UEFA club competitions and domestic leagues to complete seasons that are now being affected by the coronavirus.

The Italian and Spanish leagues are on hold, while UEFA has postponed the remaining Champions League last-16 second legs that were scheduled for next week.

Both the squads of Real Madrid, which was due to play at Manchester City, and Juventus, which was due to host Lyon, are in quarantine after the clubs were hit by cases of the virus at their clubs.

As the week has progressed, it has seemed increasingly harder for UEFA to stage one of the biggest sporting events across Europe in three months.

UEFA earlier said in a statement that Euro 2020 would be part of discussions about