Ceferin sleepless but resolute
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin says he is having sleepless nights due to the COVID-19 pandemic with European soccer's governing body set to lose "millions and millions" of dollars after the season came to a halt.
European leagues and UEFA competitions have been suspended since March or had their seasons cut short. While the German Bundesliga resumed over the weekend, it is unclear when, or if, other top flight leagues will restart, with the season set to spill over into August when the 2020-21 campaign is set to kick off.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "There is so much information and so many calendar issues. So many millions, dozens of millions of dollars, that we will lose," Ceferin told the Guardian. "It's hard to fall asleep at night. You would be quite irresponsible if you fell asleep immediately.
"The situation for UEFA is not that alarming, we're not in a dangerous situation, but we still care about the clubs and the leagues and the stakeholders so it is a lot of work."
Ceferin said he did not expect football to change once the situation returns to normal but added that Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations could be adapted to the "new times".
"This will not happen very soon but we're thinking of improving (FFP), modernising it and doing something more about the competitive balance. We're also considering some sort of 'luxury tax', if it's possible."
Asked whether he would bet a million dollars that Euro 2020 would be played in 2021, he said: "Yes, I would. I don't know why it wouldn't be. I don't think that this virus will last forever. I think it will (change) sooner than many think.
"I don't like this apocalyptic view that we have to wait for the second and third waves or even a fifth wave."
Ceferin said football would follow recommendations but was optimistic normal service could resume in the near future. "I'm absolutely sure, personally, that good old football with fans will come back very soon."
And Ceferin said he did not expect the game to change. "Football didn't change after the World War II, or World War I, and it will not change because of a virus either," he said.