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I am trying to figure out how UEFA, in their right state of mind, think they can pull off the next season of Europa League and UCL, with the number of covid cases going up and up.

So, for the preliminary rounds, they need to get teams travel all over in Europe, some even 4-5 times, if they manage to get in the groups from the first round. Add to that that the rules and quarantine reglementations are different from country to country
For example: the season here is Romania is really pending with a shit load of games left, while CFR Cluj has 11 players with corona, and they are playing with the title on the table in the last fixture of the season, while Dinamo, similar conditions, is last and might relegate for the first time in their history. No way they can finish the league before 1st of august when UEFA said they have a deadline.

Looking at how things really are all over Europe, with teams that must play two legs, I don't see how they can get next season to work if there will not be an huge change in this pandemic overnight.

They've already rearranged qualifications to be single-leg ties, and the preliminary round(s) will be played at a neutral venue in Switzerland. However, everything is on a really tight deadline, and there's literally no room for maneuver if the CL and EL are going to finish on time. I'm highly suspicious of it myself, and I think if COVID looks like it's going to lead to cancellations of games, they'll just throw out the weakest/least marketable team in order for the group stages to be played as scheduled.

BlueinBosnia wrote:They've already rearranged qualifications to be single-leg ties, and the preliminary round(s) will be played at a neutral venue in Switzerland. However, everything is on a really tight deadline, and there's literally no room for maneuver if the CL and EL are going to finish on time. I'm highly suspicious of it myself, and I think if COVID looks like it's going to lead to cancellations of games, they'll just throw out the weakest/least marketable team in order for the group stages to be played as scheduled.

I've seen only for the first round, when they are having teams from San Marino, Andorra, etc.
For the rest I've read only rumors, but I really don't think Switzerland is capable of keeping all of them.

I think, but again, they need a really solid plan to do this, is to make a "football center" like they want to do in UCL, with all the teams being in a city and play each other in system of one game only. But for that to happen, teams need to be away from home for a month and I don't know how many teams can affort that on their own expense.

Just one team gets covid and all their plans are fucked.

BlueinBosnia wrote:They've already rearranged qualifications to be single-leg ties, and the preliminary round(s) will be played at a neutral venue in Switzerland. However, everything is on a really tight deadline, and there's literally no room for maneuver if the CL and EL are going to finish on time. I'm highly suspicious of it myself, and I think if COVID looks like it's going to lead to cancellations of games, they'll just throw out the weakest/least marketable team in order for the group stages to be played as scheduled.

What's the betting they have a competition just of previous winners

Hutch's Shoulder wrote:

BlueinBosnia wrote:They've already rearranged qualifications to be single-leg ties, and the preliminary round(s) will be played at a neutral venue in Switzerland. However, everything is on a really tight deadline, and there's literally no room for maneuver if the CL and EL are going to finish on time. I'm highly suspicious of it myself, and I think if COVID looks like it's going to lead to cancellations of games, they'll just throw out the weakest/least marketable team in order for the group stages to be played as scheduled.

What's the betting they have a competition just of previous winners

My missus' team, deportivo a coruna are about to be relegated for the first time to Spain's 3rd division after their opponents travelled to A Coruña with a team containing 6 players who had the virus and them called off the game. Local council is going to sue as the town was clean of the virus. Depor will also sue as the game was postponed

PeterParker wrote:

BlueinBosnia wrote:They've already rearranged qualifications to be single-leg ties, and the preliminary round(s) will be played at a neutral venue in Switzerland. However, everything is on a really tight deadline, and there's literally no room for maneuver if the CL and EL are going to finish on time. I'm highly suspicious of it myself, and I think if COVID looks like it's going to lead to cancellations of games, they'll just throw out the weakest/least marketable team in order for the group stages to be played as scheduled.

I've seen only for the first round, when they are having teams from San Marino, Andorra, etc.
For the rest I've read only rumors, but I really don't think Switzerland is capable of keeping all of them.

I think, but again, they need a really solid plan to do this, is to make a "football center" like they want to do in UCL, with all the teams being in a city and play each other in system of one game only. But for that to happen, teams need to be away from home for a month and I don't know how many teams can affort that on their own expense.

Just one team gets covid and all their plans are fucked.

Sorry, I was referring to the 'official' preliminary round (i.e. that 4-team competition) and not all rounds before the main competition starts (i.e. preliminary + qualifying rounds).

I agree that there should be competitions at neutral venues (but with qualifying spread into 'segments' across 8-12 host countries, that cannot have teams from their own country in them), but I have no idea how that would work with teams dropping down from CL qualifying into EL qualifying, and if indeed it would be logistically possible to put teams in a maximum of two countries (one for CL, then one for EL if they're knocked out), or mathematically possible to devise a draw to determine where everything would take place.

salford city wrote:

Hutch's Shoulder wrote:

BlueinBosnia wrote:They've already rearranged qualifications to be single-leg ties, and the preliminary round(s) will be played at a neutral venue in Switzerland. However, everything is on a really tight deadline, and there's literally no room for maneuver if the CL and EL are going to finish on time. I'm highly suspicious of it myself, and I think if COVID looks like it's going to lead to cancellations of games, they'll just throw out the weakest/least marketable team in order for the group stages to be played as scheduled.

What's the betting they have a competition just of previous winners

My missus' team, deportivo a coruna are about to be relegated for the first time to Spain's 3rd division after their opponents travelled to A Coruña with a team containing 6 players who had the virus and them called off the game. Local council is going to sue as the town was clean of the virus. Depor will also sue as the game was postponed

Here CFR have gone to 10 players, including the manager Petrescu, ex-Chelsea star. Dinamo have 19.
Mental.