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Uefa could press ahead with plans to stage the final stages of the Champions League behind closed doors and at neutral venues after the French government confirmed there would be no professional football allowed in the country until at least 1 September.
With Paris Saint-Germain one of four clubs already through to the quarter-finals of Uefa’s flagship competition, the prospect of completing the Champions League in its normal two-legged format is now impossible given the restrictions announced by France’s prime minister, Edouard Philippe, on Tuesday.
European football’s governing body is now understood to be considering proposals which would involve the 12 remaining teams in the competition, including Manchester City and Chelsea, playing matches at stadiums under strict controls similar to those being implemented in Germany for the proposed return of the Bundesliga next month. All players taking part would need to be rigorously tested before and after every match, with restrictions on the number of people who could be present.
At this stage Uefa is not expected to make any further announcements until the end of May regarding its plans to complete the Champions League or Europa League, although last week it backtracked on its initial proposals to ban clubs from European competition if they cancel their seasons and said domestic leagues must decide for themselves how to determine final placings “based on sporting merit”.
Governing bodies in Belgium and the Netherlands have already decided to end their seasons, although whereas Club Brugge were crowned champions in the Jupiler League, the Eredivisie leaders Ajax saw their hopes of another title dashed by the KNVB’s decision to void the 2019-20 campaign entirely aside from determining which teams proceed to next season’s European competitions.
Domestic leagues in Europe have been given a deadline of 25 May to inform Uefa of their intentions, with the executive committee meeting two days later likely to determine the fate of the Champions League and Europa League. At the start of April the Uefa president, Aleksander Ceferin, admitted it would be a “better option” to conclude this season’s competitions behind closed doors rather than scrapping them entirely, although he also admitted that both competitions could be abandoned if coronavirus restrictions remain into September.
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