UEFA planning to alter Euro 2021 format from 12 host countries to just one: Reports

UEFA is reportedly planning to host next summer's European Championship only in Russia, rather than going through with the original plan of 12 host countries. It is believed that the delayed tournament is officially still due to be shared between 12 host nations but that plan is likely to be aborted due to the coronavirus pandemic. The initial idea, envisaged by Michel Platini, had been for matches to take place across Europe in 12 host cities including Bilbao, Amsterdam, Baku, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Munich, Rome and St Petersburg.

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UEFA plan to stage Euro 2021 with Russia as the sole host country

According to reports from French news outlet Le Parisien, UEFA is seriously considering an alteration to the Euro 2021 format to stage the competition in a single country. Euro 2020 was initially set to take place earlier this summer but was postponed to the summer of 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic. The games were supposed to be held in 12 host cities - Bilbao, Amsterdam, Baku, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Munich, Rome and St Petersburg - but reports claim that UEFA is now chalking up a back-up plan to move the competition to Russia. 

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Russia's successful hosting of the 2018 FIFA World Cup has made the country an ideal candidate for hosting Euro 2021 at relatively short notice due to the infrastructure already in place. More so, UEFA has reportedly been impressed by the manner in which Russia has dealt with the COVID-19 crisis. Euro 2021 is scheduled to take place from June 11 till July 11, 2021.

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The plan to play the games in 12 different host cities also came under jeopardy due to a rise of COVID-19 infections recently and mass travelling could also result in further spread of the deadly virus. The UEFA bosses were previously considering Azerbaijan as the sole host nation for the Euro 2021 but that option has cooled off in recent weeks, owing to the country's ongoing military conflict with Armenia.

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UEFA President claims Euro 2021 must go ahead amid Russia COVID-19 cases and deaths

While recently addressing reporters, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin insisted that the Euros must go ahead as it “would bring positive energy to the people”. Although UEFA has not confirmed its decision to host Euro 2021 in Russia, the board will continue to monitor developments in the hope that the European Championships can go ahead as planned. According to reports from Worldometer, Russia has recorded a total of 1,655,038 COVID-19 cases with 28,473 deaths so far.

Image Credits - AP