FIGC President Gabriele Gravina: “On Tuesday We Will Propose To UEFA To Postpone The European Championship”

FIGC president Gabriele Gravina discussed the resumption of the league and the possibility of postponing this summer’s European Championships in an interview with Italian broadcaster Sport Mediaset earlier today.

First, Gravina spoke about what the next steps will be for the league and the upcoming meeting with UEFA on Tuesday.

“We will try to get to the end of this season. We think it’s fairer to give the exact definition of the sacrifices and investments that the clubs have made so far. It is clear that there is a discriminating factor regarding the hypothesis of concluding the league at the end of June, the European Championship, for which investments and expectations are very high. On Tuesday we will address the issue, our position is clear, we believe that health and its protection are the most important things. Italy is at the moment two weeks ahead, the others probably don’t have the exact scale of things yet. On Tuesday we will propose to UEFA to postpone the European Championship.”

The FIGC president believes that the league can be completed before the end of June, if the games resumed at the beginning of May.

“That’s the hope. We have to work on this calendar hypothesis without forgetting that beyond Serie A there are several leagues that must have their own definition. Without forgetting the completion of European competitions. We have hypothesized 30th June as the end date, and we are also taking into account possible extensions in order to be able to go beyond that date if necessary.”

Finally, Gravina discussed whether players should be training together right now or remain in quarantine.

“If the league were to resume at the beginning of May, I’d give up training for the time being. These are people who, like us, need to recover physical and psychological energies. I repeat, health protection is the priority, let’s face it together.”

The Coronavirus emergency has caused many top leagues around Europe, including Serie A, to be postponed in order to help fight the spread of the contagion. Italy is the most affected country in Europe and has taken serious measures in order to protect the people, such as issuing a total lockdown and decreeing that people must remain at home if possible, in order to slow the spread and attempt to protect those at risk.