Euro 2020 football championship postponed for a year

The European football Championship due to be played this summer has been postponed for a year, the continent's ruling body decided on Tuesday, as the disruption caused by the coronavirus continued globally.

The news was broken by the Norwegian Football Association as Uefa, Europe's governing body, held a conference call with national football associations.

“Uefa has decided that the European Championship is postponed to 2021,” it reported. “It will be played from 11 June to 11 July next year. More information coming.”

The tournament was due to have been held this year from 12 June - 12 July in host cities of 12 countries right across Europe, with the final at London's Wembley stadium.

“We are at the helm of a sport that vast numbers of people live and breathe that has been laid low by this invisible and fast-moving opponent,” said Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin.

“The health of fans, staff and players has to be our No 1 priority and in that spirit, Uefa tabled a range of options so that competitions can finish this season safely and I am proud of the response of my colleagues across European football. There was a real spirit of co-operation, with everyone recognising that they had to sacrifice something in order to achieve the best result.”