The Federation That Has Stopped Competition Due To COVID-19, Next Season May Not Appear On The European Stage

UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin. (Photo: UEFA)

JAKARTA - The European Football Federation or the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has stated that it does not agree with the policy of stopping competition early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. UEFA has also prepared penalties for league federations that use this policy.

One of the leagues in Europe that claims to have stopped the league is the Jupiler Pro League, or the Belgian Premier League, where Club Brugge is at the top of the standings and is certain to emerge as champions.

Club Brugge, champions of the Belgian Premier League, but is threatened with not being able to appear in European competition next season. (Photo: Club Brugge)

UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin said, stopping in the middle of the competition is not a wise step, even in times of a pandemic like this.

"I'm not sure it was the right decision. Solidarity is not a one-way street. You can't ask for help and then make your own decisions," Ceferin told ZDF, quoted by Football Italia.

He has also prepared penalties for any league that dares to stop the competition early. The penalty is deprivation of the right to play on the European stage.

"The Belgians and their federations are probably considering the same thing with us, they themselves are putting their participation in European competitions next season under threat," he said.

Ceferin stressed that UEFA wants all competitions under its auspices to run to the last point. Although it must be carried out without an audience.

"Uefa's intention is to finish all league seasons, even though the implementation time will be very long and play the rest of the game behind closed doors. Because football is not the same without fans, but it is definitely better to play and watch it on TV, than nothing. "he said.

Meanwhile, the Belgian Football Federation (KBVB) defended the decision by the Belgian Pro League operators to prematurely complete the 2019/20 season competition. KBVB considers that this decision is a step based on the interests of public health and economy.

"Both the KBVB and the Belgian Pro League fully support the solidarity of European football. This solidarity is also the basis for our representatives to defend the policies adopted to overcome this situation while paying attention to the specific context of each league," said the KBVB statement.

The majority of Belgian clubs have indeed called for the season to be discontinued. This is because the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has left the club with no practical income for nearly a month.