UEFA made a “wrong call” by insisting that Euro 2020 matches(watch UEFA Euro 2020 live) are played before a live crowd, said Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin. The football body previously stripped Dublin of hosting rights.
Following UEFA’s decision to strip Ireland of its hosting rights for the postponed 2020 European Football Championship, Prime Minister Micheal Martin said the football body’s demands were unrealistic.
The games must be played in front of a live audience, according to UEFA. Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the organisation requested that officials in host countries guarantee that stadiums will be filled to at least 25% of their maximum capacity. This proposal was turned down by the Irish government.
“I thought UEFA was out of order, quite frankly, imposing that condition on countries,” the Irish president said on Sunday on RTE television.
“I’ve never thought it was a viable option,” he says.
Who else is against UEFA’s Stance?
The tournament, which has been postponed, is due to begin on June 11th. Since Ireland is not hosting the games, they will be held in 11 other European countries. The games that were scheduled to take place in Dublin will now be held in London and St Petersburg.
UEFA also had a squabble with the Basque regional government in Spain, which resulted in the relocation of four matches from Bilbao to Seville. Despite the fact that Munich failed to provide the requisite assurances, the organizers agreed not to revoke Munich’s hosting rights.
Why Ireland is Worried?
Martin said on Sunday that forcing fans into stadiums early was a “bad decision.” He cited a newly discovered coronavirus strain in India, as well as a high infection rate across the European continent.
Ireland is now in its third lockdown and has one of Europe’s lowest rates of COVID-19 infection. According to the politician, while the nation was steadily lifting lockdown restrictions, it was “not getting too far ahead of ourselves” when it came to staging major sporting events.
What is UEFA’s Stance?
Every Euro 2020 match will be played in “a secure and festive atmosphere,” according to UEFA. The push for live audiences was made because fans should be able to “attend the games after a year of not being able to watch live football in-stadium,” according to its chief, Aleksander Ceferin.
Budapest, St Petersburg, Baku, Amsterdam, Bucharest, Glasgow, Copenhagen, Rome, and London have all agreed to allow between 25% and 100% of stadium capacity for the month-long tournament.