Staging the Euros in 11 host cities has been unfair to fans and teams, says UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, with some nations forced to travel 10 TIMES further than their opponents – and the format will now be ditched
- Spreading Euro 2020 across a dozen host cities was supposed to share the joy
- It was the brainchild of Aleksander Ceferin’s predecessor Michel Platini
- Logistical challenges have been huge with some teams travelling 10,000km
- And the Covid pandemic has made participation impossible for many fans
- Now Ceferin says that he would not use the ambitious format for the Euros again
- Find out the latest Euro 2020 news including fixtures, live action and results here
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has ruled out holding the European Championships in cities across the continent again.
The tournament has been beset with public health and logistical challenges as teams and fans have been forced to navigate their way around eleven host cities.
Even without the added complications of the coronavirus pandemic, which saw Dublin drop out of hosting the tournament at the last minute, and matches redistributed, the UEFA chief says the burden of travel was too great.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says the logistical challenges posed by holding the Euros in 11 host cities have been too great and the format will not be used again
‘It is not fair to the fans. I would not support it any more,’ he told the BBC’s Sports Desk podcast.
The idea to stage what should have been the 60th anniversary finals all over Europe is credited to Ceferin’s predecessor Michel Platini, with the decision confirmed in December 2012.
‘I think it’s too challenging. It’s in a way not correct that some teams have to travel more than 10,000 kilometres and the others 1,000 for example.
‘It’s not fair to the fans. Some fans had to be in Rome and the next day or in a couple of days they had to be in Baku, a four and a half hour flight.
‘So it’s a difficult one, it’s an interesting idea but hard to implement and I don’t think we will do it again.’
The 2024 Euros will be held in Germany.