August 12, (THEWILL) – The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has announced that away supporters will not be allowed during the next round of European international fixtures in September because of the COVID-19 pandemic which is still ravaging several parts of the globe.
THEWILL recalls that several fixtures for qualifiers ahead of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup and a handful of friendly matches are scheduled between September 1 and 8 and will be affected by this announcement.
FIFA and UEFA made this decision known in a joint communiqué addressed to national associations, wherein they stated that they had been monitoring the pandemic across the continent, and have decided to block away fans from attending the fixtures for health and safety purposes.
They cited “recent COVID-19 spikes in Europe combined with the large number of matches to be played during the September international window” in the letter to inform the associations of involved nations as they make plans to meet the scheduled fixtures.
This carries from a similar blanket ban on away fans which has been in place for the qualifying rounds of UEFA’s European club competitions so far. Because this comes as a check against international travel, home fans will be permitted and several matches could be held at full capacity depending on what obtains in per country basis.
For instance, about 65,000 fans packed into the Wembley Stadium for the Euro 2020 continental final in July, where Italy beat England on penalties and it could be at full capacity of about 90,000 home fans for England’s qualifier against Andorra on September 5, as well.
However, the English Football Association had previously noted that it planned to review the away fans’ calculation in planning for the international matches in the months of October and November before making a determination of how best to proceed.
Also, in the Hungarian capital Budapest, it was a stadium at full capacity that cheered on at all the Euro 2020 matches played in the Puskás Aréna in June. It was required that everyone interested could show that they were fully vaccinated.
The qualifying groups for Qatar 2022 World Cup in the UEFA region began in March, and are due to conclude during November’s round of international fixtures this year.
Around September last year, with the gradual easing of global restrictions, UEFA’s Executive Committee extended the international windows for next month to incorporate three matches instead of the usual two because of the impact of COVID-19-enforced postponements.
That was also the same move that was made for the international windows in October and November 2020 and March 2021. The international windows are scheduled to return to a double matchday from October 2021 going forward, barring unforeseen circumstances.
Following the standard format, the winners of each of the 10 European groups will automatically qualify, while the runners-up will advance to a playoff stage alongside the two best UEFA Nations League group winners who finished outside the top two in World Cup qualifying.
In March next year, the playoffs will determine the final three European countries to qualify for the World Cup, which will be hosted in Qatar between November and December of 2022.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
