UEFA is considering the option of finishing the Champions League and Europa League competitions in August once domestic leagues are completed.

Football across the continent has been ground to a halt by the coronavirus pandemic and the governing body is meeting next Thursday to discuss how the 2019-20 season can be concluded.

Its plans for the two European competitions will depend on how soon domestic leagues across the continent can resume.

If they are up and running sometime in the next couple of months, then UEFA could decide to play them alongside the league action as they do in normal circumstances.

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But if it is not until July or August that the action is underway then UEFA would be more likely to play the remainder of the two competitions in a condensed timeframe, culminating with the Champions League final on August 29.

Both the Champions League and the Europa League, with respective finals due to be played in Istanbul and Gdansk, are currently midway through the round of 16 stage.

UEFA is considering two options, one of which is to hold the Champions League quarter-finals and semi-finals across two legs in July and August. This would only be possible if domestic leagues restarted in June.

The second option is to play the remaining Champions League ties as one-off fixtures after the end of the domestic seasons and could see the remainder of the competition played out over the course of a week.
Both options would be discussed at UEFA’s Executive Committee meeting next Thursday, the report added.

It is understood UEFA are keen for all remaining matches in the domestic leagues to be played, but April 23’s meeting is likely to see the subject of possibly ending them early at least discussed.

SOURCE: THE IRISH TIMES