Coronavirus outbreak: FIFA recommends postponing international matches scheduled for June
The COVID-19 working group has recommended the postponement of all international matches scheduled for June in the wake of coronavirus pandemic. The bilateral discussions with federations regarding the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers will also be organised to draw up a revised schedule. Furthermore, women's international matches which were set to take place in June have been deferred. Here is more.
The FIFA-Confederations approved a number of recommendations
"The FIFA-Confederations working group has unanimously approved a series of recommendations following its first meeting, which was organised via conference call today. The FIFA-Confederations working group will continue to hold discussions on a regular basis as the situation evolves," a statement read.
A sub-working group will look after the potential changes
The recommendations also included new dates of the Women's Olympic Football Tournament in the women's international match calendar. A sub-working group on women's international match calendar will also be created to consider potential changes and dates of postponed FIFA final tournaments. The move came after the new schedule of upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics was announced by the IOC.
FIFA recommended to postpone international matches scheduled for March-April
FIFA earlier recommended to postpone all the international matches which were scheduled for March and April to contain the spread of coronavirus. Qualifying matches in Asia and South America for the 2022 World Cup had already been postponed. "FIFA understands, to hold the matches under current circumstances might not only present potential health risks, but also compromise the integrity of matches," a statement read.
The Tokyo Olympics have been postponed by a year
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the new dates of Tokyo 2020 Olympics after it was postponed by a year, owing to coronavirus pandemic. The Tokyo Games will now be held from July 23 to August 8 next year. As a result, the FIFA group proposed to keep the age eligibility rule of players born on or after January 1, 1997.
