UEFA delighted to resume competitions, but still uncertain on when fans can return

The UEFA competitions including the Champions League and the Europa League were stalled abruptly after the Covid-19 outbreak back in March. After a four-month hiatus, the premier European tournaments are set for a return in August later this year, but the matches will be played in front of empty stands to curb the spread of the deadly virus. Even though the UEFA is delighted to resume their competitions, there is no clarity when fans could be allowed inside stadiums.

"We'll be regularly assessing the situation across the continent concerning closed-door matches, and we'll take stock of the positions of the various local authorities to see if and when spectators could gradually return to our matches,” said Aleksander Ceferin, the President of UEFA.

"If I would answer today, then we don't think that we could have spectators at the Europa League and Champions League quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals. But things are changing rapidly. A month ago, I couldn't even answer whether we could play the competition. We will assess the situation at the beginning of July and then, we will see what the situation will be,” added the official.

The second leg of the round-of-16 matches of the Champions League will be played in early-August, as per the schedule, while the quarter-finals are scheduled for kick-offs from August 12-15. The semi-finals will be played on August 18th and 19th respectively, while the final will be staged at the Estadio da Luz, in Lisbon on August 23rd.