UEFA’s decision to host the European Championship across multiple cities has faced massive logistical challenges. President Aleksander Ceferin has claimed that the format is not fair and will not be repeated again.
The players have had to travel long distances for the matches, and it has taken a toll on the fitness of the players in particular.
While some teams have played most of their matches at home, the others have had to travel thousands of miles over the last few weeks. As a result of this, some of the teams have been able to keep their players fresher, and it has given them an unfair advantage over others.
For example, England have benefited from the format, and Gareth Southgate’s side have played six of their last seven matches at home.
Conducting the Euro 2020 tournament this summer has been a major challenge because of the pandemic as well, and the authorities have had to deal with different jurisdictions in different countries.
Furthermore, following their respective nations has been a very expensive problem for the fans as well.
Despite the thrilling football produced at the Euros so far, hosting the tournament across multiple countries is a challenge UEFA are not looking forward to in the future.
Speaking to the media ahead of Sunday’s final between England and Italy, Ceferin revealed: “I would not support it anymore.
“It is not fair to fans, who had to be in Rome one day and in Baku over the next few, which is a four and a half hour flight.
“We had to travel a lot, into countries with different jurisdictions, different currencies, countries in the European Union (EU) and Non-EU, so it was not easy.
“It was a format that was decided before I came [into post], and I respect it. It is an interesting idea, but it is hard to implement, and I don’t think we will do it again.”
