UEFA 'confident' coronavirus outbreak will not derail Euro 2020 plans

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AFP Amsterdam
Last Updated : Mar 04 2020 | 9:42 AM IST

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said he was confident European football's governing body could deal with any worst-case scenario in relation to the upcoming Euro 2020 as the continent battles to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

COVID-19 has been detected in 76 countries worldwide, killing over 3,000 people with Italy the worst-hit nation in Europe.

The Italian capital Rome is one of 12 venues across the continent set to host matches at the European Championship in June and July.

A long list of sports events around the world have been cancelled or postponed in recent days to avoid spreading the virus, including games in Italy's Serie A. The top two divisions of Swiss football have been postponed until the end of March.

"You don't know how many concerns we have when we organise a big competition," Ceferin on Tuesday said at a press conference after the UEFA Congress in Amsterdam.

"We have security concerns, we have political instability concerns, and one of the concerns is also the virus, and we are dealing with it and we are confident we can deal with it."
This week marks 100 days until the start of the 24-team European Championship, and Ceferin called on organisers to "not just think about dark scenarios, there will be time for that later."
- 'Prepared for every eventuality' -
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Inter are also due to host Spanish side Getafe on March 12 in the Europa League. Theodoridis said: "Inter already have two matches postponed, and they still play in the Italian Cup and the Europa League, so this makes it almost impossible to find dates if we don't coordinate between the European leagues."

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First Published: Mar 04 2020 | 9:42 AM IST

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