Euro 2020 was supposed to be spectacular. It was supposed to dance through 12 cities
in 12 different countries and be a truly pan-European tournament.
UEFA still hopes that it will be, but with vaccination rates fluctuating across the continent
and many borders still closed, that seems to be in hope rather than expectation.
Cancelling the tournament isn’t an option. Most tickets were sold prior to the pandemic and,
in any case, many of the Football Associations under UEFA’s jurisdiction depend on tournament
revenue to survive. This, then, is not the time to be paying rebates to sponsors and broadcasters.
The challenge is to find a workable solution and, while UEFA’s ambition is to remain as
true to the original format as possible, one option is to revert to a single nation format.
But the trouble is infrastructure. Without any preparation time,
there are a few countries who could hold a 24-team tournament.
France staged the 2016 Championships and has the facilities, but has shown little
inclination. Similarly, while Germany also has the capacity,
the country is due to host the tournament in 2024 and again, politically, there seems no appetite.
Russia is also an alternative. Beyond the traditional challenges presented by travel
distances and despite only recently hosting a World Cup, the country is currently under sanction
from WADA for doping violations and, as such, UEFA is unlikely to court avoidable controversy.
It leaves the United Kingdom as the only viable contingency.
The English Football Association has expressed willing, too, so could that work?
It’s been 25 years since a major tournament was held in the United
Kingdom. And only 16 teams took part in Euro96,
which was hosted solely in England; 8 cities and stadiums were used and only 31 games were played.
A 24-team competition presents a different kind of challenge, particularly with no notice,
but we’ve sketched out how it might work – albeit it with a few assumptions.
The first is that the UK’s rate of vaccination remains the highest in Europe
and proves resistant to variants of the virus.
The second is that supporters would be allowed inside the grounds,
but at reduced capacity, only after strict temperature checks
and with the need to socially distance and wear face masks once inside.
And there are some logistical ground rules, too, as would apply to any normal tournament:
For policing reasons, two games cannot take place within the same city on the same day.
Only stadia with UEFA Category Four status facilities can be used. That means they
must have certain VIP facilities, floodlights of particular luminance,
and – among other criteria – the right number of working positions for written and broadcast media,
as well as at least one television studio in full view of the pitch.
And there is also a high expectation for the standard of training grounds,
which need to be fit for international footballers,
and hotels, which will have to accommodate travelling parties of around 60 people.
So, spreading the tournament out as much as possible and making sure
not overwhelm any one part of the country, this could be Euro 2020.
Group Stage.
In Group A, Wales, Italy, Switzerland and Turkey can play their games at the
Principality Stadium in Cardiff and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London.
The Welsh were originally supposed to have home advantage, so they can train at Hensol Castle,
while the other three nations can be housed at the University of Bath,
the American Express Elite Performance Centre in Lancing, and Southampton’s Staplewood.
Group B comprises Denmark, Belgium, Russia and Finland and we’re sending them to the North-East:
to the Stadium of Light and St James’ Park. The area is rich in training grounds, too,
and Sunderland’s Academy of Light, Middlesbrough’s Rockliffe Hall, Newcastle’s Darsley Park
and the University of Northumbria will provide bases in a footballing heartland.
Group C features the Netherlands, Austria, North Macedonia and Ukraine
and they’re going to Anfield and the Etihad. The Dutch would have been playing in Amsterdam
originally, so Georginio Wijnaldum and Virgil van Dijk can enjoy a homecoming
at Liverpool’s new training facility at Kirkby. Manchester United’s Carrington,
Everton’s Finch Farm and Leeds United’s Thorp Arch can then house the rest of the group.
Group D is the easiest to organise. England,
Croatia, Scotland and the Czech Republic can play between Wembley and Hampden Park,
with the two home nations bedding into their usual bases of St George’s Park and Oriam.
Petr Cech can then welcome his former international colleagues to Chelsea’s Cobham,
while the Croatians can enjoy Rangers’ superb Auchenhowie facility, which – in the past – the
club have lent to visiting European sides who face Celtic in European club games.
In Group E, Old Trafford and the iPRO Stadium (Joe: EYE-PRO) will host games between Spain,
Sweden, Poland and Slovakia, and those teams can have their pick from the Etihad Complex,
Leicester City’s brand-new training complex in Seagrave,
Derby County’s Moor Farm and the training centre at Loughborough University.
And that leaves Group F, with France, Germany, Portugal and Hungary playing
out their Group of Death at The Emirates and Villa Park, and preparing at London Colney,
Bodymoor Heath, Wolves’ training ground in Compton and Hotspur Way, in Enfield.
The more teams that are eliminated, the easier the logistics.
From the Last 16 onwards, the emphasis is on sharing games around the country,
involving different communities and ensuring good travel links.
The Emirates, the Etihad, Villa Park and St James’ Park could stage two last-sixteen games
each on alternate days. For the quarter-finals, the Principality Stadium and Hampden Park could
come back in to use, with the two other matches at Old Trafford and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
And that would send the semi-finalists to London, as the tournament originally intended.
The four surviving countries could relocate to training centres and hotel complexes
around the capital, with Cobham, Colney and Hotspur Way all available, and Brighton’s Lancing base a couple of hours away.
But Wembley was the final destination. It was
where Euro 2020 was supposed to end and, even in this modified alternative, all roads should still
lead up Olympic Way, past the statue of Bobby Moore and into the home of English football.