COVID-19 Threatens Euro 2020, Said The FIFA President

JAKARTA - FIFA President Gianni Infantino urged the world soccer organization not to panic and must take concrete steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 or the corona virus.

A number of sporting events were postponed and the football calendar has also faced problems. One of them, Serie A, which canceled several matches over the past two weeks.

The Swiss government issued a ban on events attended by more than 1,000 people, with the country's Football Association postponing league matches until March 23.

Several Premier League clubs have also banned handshakes at training ground amid the concerns. Games in the top flight of the Premier League may be affected.

Infantino - admitting last week that international matches scheduled to take place this month could be postponed as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to escalate - called for the approach that must be taken to address the problem.

"Some of you have to make important decisions in this regard. Every competition organizer must learn about it and have to make decisions," he said at the UEFA Congress in Amsterdam. Launch Soccerway, Wednesday, February 4.

"It is important to consider all the information from the authorities, but it is also important not to panic. Those who have to make decisions, as happened in Switzerland, will make decisions and then can move," he continued.

"Someone said to me football can be an antidote to the coronavirus. I wouldn't go that far, but sometimes football is an antidote for many other diseases like discrimination and racism, and this is a struggle that we must fight together."

One particularly problematic area for UEFA is the staging of Euro 2020 in more than 12 countries, where the play-offs for this tournament take place over two weeks.

Secretary-general Theodore Theodorakis said the association had been in contact with the World Health Organization and various governments. They don't want to overreact but must handle it on a case by case basis.

"We have also held a meeting with the European League Association to create a coordinating group to find the best solution. The calendar is already busy so working together is where we want to find a solution," explained Theo.

"There are also different scenarios for a more pressing match in two weeks' time."

Meanwhile, UEFA Chairman Aleksander Ceferin remains optimistic European football is ready to solve the problem.

"We have a security problem, a political instability problem and one of the problems is a virus. We are dealing with it and we believe we can solve it," he said.

"Let's try to be optimistic and not think of bad scenarios."

The President of the Swiss Football Federation, Dominique Blanc, specifically predicted with his warning.

"We are facing a situation that could shake professional football to its foundations. So, unfortunately, we will not be able to avoid the scheduling of matches that have been postponed alongside UEFA club competitions," he told Congress.

"If the situation continues, we will not be able to avoid talking to UEFA about financial aid. This is the worst case scenario but cannot be ignored."