UEFA suspends all European football competitions indefinitely

UEFA announced that their Champions League and Europa League competitions have been suspended "until further notice" due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

On Wednesday, the 55 member associations of the European football governing body met to decide the future of the competitions.

UEFA released a statement to confirm that all the national team games that were scheduled in June have also been postponed. The list of postponed matches includes the playoff games for the Euro 2020, a competition that has already been postponed to 2021, and also the qualifying games for the Women's Euro Cup 2021.

The Euro 2020 playoffs will feature the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.

English sides Manchester City and Chelsea are still competing in the Champions League, while Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, along with the Scottish Premiership side Rangers F.C. are active in the Europa League.

The finals of the UCL, Women's Champions League, and Europa League were originally scheduled for May. But now, the date would naturally get postponed.

Most domestic leagues in Europe are hoping to finish their seasons once the restrictions on social contact are lifted. However, the situation is looking grim after UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said last week that the season could be ended in case play couldn't be resumed before June ends.

The 52-year-old Slovenian said, "If we don't succeed in restarting, the season will probably be lost. There is also the possibility of starting again at the beginning of the next [season], starting the following one later. It's hard for me to imagine all the matches behind closed doors, but we still don't know whether we'll resume, with or without spectators. If there was no alternative, it would be better to finish the championships."

BBC earlier reported that a mini-tournament could possibly be played to decide the winners of the Champions League and Europa League, as a means to ease the fixture congestion that has been caused by the COVID-19 crisis.

With the deadly pandemic spreading globally, all major sports events across the world have been hit hard. The Spanish, Italian, and French leagues have been postponed indefinitely.

The Premier League has also been suspended further beyond the initial restart date of April 30. On the other hand, the Belgian Pro League is called off and Club Bruges is set to be named champions.