UEFA Denies Statement By Its President On The Deadline For The Champions League Final

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin (eufa.com)

JAKARTA - UEFA has rejected President Aleksander Ceferin's statement that set the August 3 deadline for the Champions League and Europa League finals.

Earlier reported, Ceferin stated to German television broadcaster ZDF on Saturday that the competition - which has been suspended indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic or the coronavirus - needs to be completed by that date.

With the majority of European leagues absent, UEFA postponed Euro 2020 and all international matches in June to help the club finish the 2019-2020 season.

However, given that football is unlikely to return anytime soon, the club's chances of fulfilling their promise to finish the season on June 30 remain a source of contention.

UEFA has now stated the quotes attributed to Ceferin are wrong and the possibility of matches being played in July and August is being considered if needed.

The statement read: "It has been reported that the UEFA president, Aleksander Ceferin, told ZDF in Germany that the UEFA Champions League must be completed by August 3. This is not true.

"The president is very clear that he is not allowed to set a definite date for the end of the season.

"UEFA is currently analyzing all options for completing the domestic and European seasons with the European Club Association and the Europa League in a working group established on March 17. The top priority of all working group members is to safeguard public health.

"Following on from that is trying to find a calendar solution to finish all competitions. Options are currently being studied to play matches in July and August if needed, depending on the restart date of competition and permission from national authorities."

How come the president and the association he leads are different?