Coronavirus outbreak | No threat to Euro 2020: UEFA
Updated On: 04 March, 2020 10:33 AM IST | Amsterdam | AFP
"I don't want to make light of it, but equally there are dangers everywhere in life that you are aware of and conscious of."

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin. Pic/AFP
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said Tuesday he was confident European football's governing body could deal with any worst-case scenario in relation to the upcoming Euro 2020 as the continent battles to contain the spread of the coronavirus. COVID-19 has been detected in 76 countries worldwide, killing over 3,000 people with Italy the worst-hit nation in Europe. The Italian capital Rome is one of 12 venues across the continent set to host matches at the European Championship in June and July. A long list of sports events around the world have been cancelled or postponed in recent days to avoid spreading the virus, including games in Italy's Serie A. The top two divisions of Swiss football have been postponed until the end of March.
"You don't know how many concerns we have when we organise a big competition," Ceferin said at a press conference after the UEFA Congress in Amsterdam. "We have security concerns, we have political instability concerns, and one of the concerns is also the virus, and we are dealing with it and we are confident we can deal with it." This week marks 100 days until the start of the 24-team European Championship, and Ceferin called on organisers to "not just think about dark scenarios, there will be time for that later." His comments came after FIFA president Gianni Infantino, addressing the Congress, urged authorities "not to panic". UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis said European football's governing body "do not want to overreact" and was dealing with the situation "case by case". However, Champions League fixtures are a more pressing concern.
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