Euro 2020: Uefa still planning for 12-venue tournament despite Covid concerns

The tournament was postponed last year due to the ongoing pandemic

Uefa are still aiming for a full 12-venue Euro 2020, even if crowds are at a mere 25 per cent, although there is an acceptance that some venues may drop out.

Planning discussions for the tournament intensified over the last two weeks, with Tuesday 1pm representing the deadline for ticket refunds.

The European governing body are conscious of the need for clarity for both supporters and federations, especially as logistics need to start being arranged.

The view after talks so far, however, is that they will press ahead with the original plan.

Some have described Uefa as “insistent” that it can work.

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For their part, Uefa have been rigorous in keeping in contact with the 12 current host cities, who have all expressed their ongoing commitment to the restaged tournament even if it means a reduction to 25 per cent capacity.

The federation's contingency plans currently allow for four main options: full stadiums, 75 per cent capacity, 50 per cent or 25 per cent.

There is a certain flexibility, as there is an understanding that some hosts may have to later drop out for reasons out of their control, amid the current Covid-19 crisis.

Some involved have questioned the prudence of this, and wondered why Uefa don't just commit to a format that is less hostage to circumstance - not to mention the wisdom of fans and teams travelling across the continent.

For those reasons, ideas like a tournament in a single country or a small group of them had previously been tabled.

One potential option that had gained some traction was either England going alone, or England, Scotland and Ireland hosting.

Such proposals are not currently seen as likely.

Having assessed all available information, Uefa have confidence the tournament can be staged according to the various stages of plans.

That is mostly due to the view that the situation in June will be very different to January due to the ongoing roll-out of vaccine programmes.