Uefa still expects both this month's Euro 2020 play-off games and the main tournament itself to go ahead as scheduled, the organisation has said. This follows a meeting of its Executive Committee in Amsterdam, where the draw for the second edition of the Nations League is to be made on Tuesday afternoon.
In a statement, the organisation said that it is in regular contact with both the World Health Organisation and national governments and will work in consultation with all of the relevant authorities, as the situation in relation to coronavirus develops.
The national authorities have taken different lines so far on sporting events but Slovakia has already introduced random checks at airports in an effort to prevent an outbreak of the virus among its population. The tone of their official proclamations on the issue suggests that they might be particularly proactive if there were significant numbers of case either there, or in Ireland, between now and the run up to the March 26th game in Bratislava.
Senior Uefa officials have acknowledged that they cannot completely rule out the competition having to be postponed at this stage but the head of its organising committee insists that there is no sense of “panic,” at Uefa about the issue.
"Right now, the situation with the Euros is stable," said Alexey Sorokin, who is also a member of Uefa's Eecutive Committee. "We don't sense any panic. None whatsoever.
“There are no changes to the tournament,” he said. “So, we continue our preparation the way it’s going. There’s only a few months left and we’re doing our best to receive as many fans as possible. I think we need to assess the situation as it develops.”
The draw for the Nations League, meanwhile, starts at 5pm Irish time on Tuesday. Ireland are again in League B after changes to the structure of the organisation handed the team, which should have been relegated after a poor performance in the first staging of the competition, a reprieve.
Austria and Wales, both of whom Ireland have faced in recent qualifying tournaments, are among the top seeded sides that the team could face in the games which will take place between September and November of this year. Mick McCarthy is due to be at the draw although it is Stephen Kenny who is scheduled to be in charge by the time the tournament gets under way.
Pot 1: Russia, Austria, Wales, Czech Republic
Pot 2: Scotland, Norway, Serbia, Finland
Pot 3: Slovakia, Turkey, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland
Pot 4: Bulgaria, Israel, Hungary, Romania
