Less than six weeks ago, Bayern Munich won the last season behind closed doors last afternoon, the draw for the organization level of the next Champions League is positioned on Thursday with the risk of the coronavirus pandemic looming again over the festival.
Bayern were crowned European champions for the sixth time after beating Paris Saint-Germain after beating Paris Saint-Germain at an empty Estadio da Luz in Lisbon in August. This surreal instance represented a kind of triumph for UEFA.
The governing framework of European football has controlled its flagship festival despite the long stop caused by the fitness crisis, but the final stages have not been the same.
“A game like this without enthusiasts is the football we know,” said Bayern coach Hansi Flick. “Maybe they can come back in the future. “
Thursday’s draw is part of a rite that will also crown last season’s male and female player.
Kingsley Coman (R) scored the winning goal when Bayern Munich beat PSG in the Champions League final last season less than six weeks ago. Photo: POOL / Miguel A. Low
UEFA had to abandon its plan to celebrate the occasion in Athens and moved it to its own headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, where the draw will take position from the guests.
This is additional evidence that after the war ended last season, things are still about to return to normal in Europe and virus cases are exploding again.
But this time, football will apparently continue.
Both Bayern and PSG will be in the top seed with Europa League winners Liverpool, Real Madrid, Juventus, Porto, Zenit Saint Petersburg and Seville.
There is the prospect of many matches, with Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and the two Manchester clubs at the time of the boat, and Inter Milan, Atalanta, RB Leipzig and Marseille among the lower seed.
But the draw will soon fade.
The Champions League trophy in Budapest before the UEFA Super Cup last week. Who will succeed Bayern as the winner this season? Photo: PISCINE / Laszlo Szirtesi
First, he realizes that almost all leading clubs will triumph in the last 16 games anyway, as they do, eliminating much of the danger of early matches.
As the pandemic continues to cast shadows, it is hard to believe that the final position will be taken as planned in Istanbul next May in a full stadium.
UEFA experienced the return of enthusiasts when around 15,500 attended last week’s Super Cup between Bayern and Seville in Budapest.
“Health is the number one priority, but we need to bring hope,” UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said, adding: “Fans and players are the component of football. “
But with regulations for giant meetings that vary significantly from country to country, UEFA will have to deal with the factor of crowds attending Champions League and Europa League matches, which will be drawn on Friday.
UEFA’s current position is that matches will be held behind closed doors “until further notice”.
He’s adjusted his rules. In the face of restrictions, it will allow fites in impartial territory. If a club suffers an outbreak of Covid-19, a fit can take position as long as each team has at least thirteen players in shape, adding a goalkeeper.
The level of organization will start on October 20, more than a month later than usual, and the six rounds of matches will take place over 8 weeks.
However, on the occasion of a further delay, UEFA has set a deadline of 28 January to complete the organisation phase.
The traps are waiting for us, but the draw gives us a brief return to something like normal.