Jump to content

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on association football

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The COVID-19 pandemic caused disruption to association football (also known as soccer) across the world, mirroring its impact across all sports. Across the world to varying degrees, leagues and competitions had been cancelled or postponed.

Club football

[edit]

By 25 May 2020, the 2020 Ýokary Liga,[1][2] the Belarusian Premier League and the Liga Primera de Nicaragua were the only three known top flight national football leagues not suspended due to the pandemic.[3]

Africa

[edit]

Both the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup semi-finals were postponed from their original schedules, to be resumed in October 2020.[4]

Asia

[edit]
Players in the Persian Gulf Pro League having their body temperature measured

In China, the 2020 Chinese Super League was postponed as a result of the pandemic.[5] In Hong Kong, the 2020 Lunar New Year Cup was cancelled on 23 January 2020, 2021 Lunar New Year Cup was cancelled on 2 February 2021 and 2022 Lunar New Year Cup was cancelled on 7 January 2022.[6] Other leagues in Asia were affected, including South Korea's K League 1 and Japan's J1 League.[7][8] The AFC Champions League and AFC Cup were also impacted, with a number of group stage and play-off matches being postponed.[9]

According to K League of South Korea announcement, 2020 K League 1 returned on 8 May, changed from original scheduling start from 29 February.[citation needed]

In India, the remaining I-League matches were postponed and the Indian Super League final was played behind closed doors.[10]

Owing to the surge in new COVID-19 cases, the Beijing Municipal Sports Competitions Administration Centre announced on 15 June 2020 the suspension of the 2020 CSL season.[11] On 1 July, it was announced that the season would start on 25 July.

On 9 July, it was announced that the AFC Cup would return on 23 September and conclude on 12 December, with the group stage matches to be held in centralised venues.[12][13] However, the season was later abandoned on 10 September and was declared void the following day.[14]

In the AFC Champions League, the AFC announced that Qatar would host all West Region matches after restart.[15] Al Wahda were unable to travel to Qatar to play their remaining matches of the group stage due to several team members testing positive for COVID-19.[16] They were considered to have withdrawn from the competition, and all their previous matches were considered "null and void".[17] The same happened with the defending champion Al-Hilal, when they failed to name the required 13 players and were unable to play their final match of the group stage against Shabab Al-Ahli due to them having only 11 players left with the remaining team members testing positive for COVID-19;[18] hence, they were also considered to have withdrawn from the competition, and all their previous matches were considered "null and void", and would not be taken into consideration in determining the final group rankings.[19]

Qatar also hosted all AFC Champions League East Region matches after restart. However, Malaysian club Johor Darul Ta'zim were unable to travel to Qatar to play the final four matches of the group stage due to the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions after they were denied permission to travel by the Malaysian government.[20] Their matches were considered "null and void" and would not affect the final group rankings.[21]

On 25 January 2021, AFC announced the cancellation of the 2020 AFC U-16 Championship following two postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[22] leaving the hosting rights for the next tournament with Bahrain.[23]

In the 2021 AFC Champions League, the three teams from Australia, Sydney FC, Melbourne City and Brisbane Roar, withdrew from the competition after the draw.[24] Moreover, Chinese teams, Guangzhou, Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Port, opted to participate with a mixture of their youth and reserve teams.[25]

Europe

[edit]
Post-match handshakes replaced by fist and elbow bumps (August 2020)
Seats at the Dripping Pan marked for social distancing
A UEFA Champions League match between FC Krasnodar and Chelsea played in front of a limited-capacity crowd (October 2020)

In Europe, various knockout matches in the Champions League and Europa League were played behind closed doors in February and March 2020.[26][27] On 12 March 2020, UEFA announced that the elite qualification round of the men and women's under-17 and under-19 youth international tournaments had been postponed.[28] The following day, UEFA postponed all fixtures for the following week in the Champions League, Europa League and Youth League.[29] On 17 June UEFA announced that the Champions League would resume in Portugal, and the Europa League in Germany, in August, but all rounds would be single-match affairs, with the exception of the Europa League round of 16 where the first game had already been played.

Many of the domestic European leagues were impacted in February and March 2020. After various fixtures were rescheduled or played behind closed doors, Serie A was postponed on 9 March 2020.[30] On 12 March, La Liga and the Segunda División were suspended for at least two weeks after a Real Madrid basketball player tested positive for the virus, which resulted in Real Madrid's footballers being put in quarantine as the two teams share the same training facilities in Valdebebas.[31] The Eredivisie was also suspended (it was officially declared abandoned on 24 April with no champion awarded),[32] while Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga followed suit shortly afterwards.[33][34] Ligue 1 would eventually end on 27 April after the French Prime Minister ordered all sporting events to be cancelled until 1 September, with Paris Saint-Germain being declared champions and on 23 June Amiens and Toulouse were relegated to the 2020–21 Ligue 2.[35][36] The Bundesliga eventually returned on 16 May following the suspension of play.

On 10 March, the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal, due to be played the next day, was postponed after a number of Arsenal players made close contact with Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis, who had tested positive for coronavirus, when the two teams had met in the Europa League 13 days earlier.[37] Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta tested positive for the disease, prompting the team's Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion for that weekend to also be postponed.[38] As of 13 March, there has been at least one recorded case of the disease affecting a player in the aforementioned leagues; Serie A footballers Daniele Rugani and Manolo Gabbiadini, 2. Bundesliga footballer Timo Hübers, and Premier League footballer Callum Hudson-Odoi.[39][40] Rugani tested positive while being asymptomatic.[41] On 13 March, English elite football was suspended until early April, including the Premier League, English Football League, FA Women's Super League and FA Women's Championship.[42]

By 19 March, the Belarusian Premier League was the only active top flight in all 55 UEFA member associations.[43]

On 5 May 2020, Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) chief executive Neil Doncaster summed up the situation in his country during a video conference involving the Scottish Football Association, Scottish Rugby and others in respect of the COVID-19 pandemic; he stated that "gate receipts make up a far higher proportion of our income than in England, which benefits from huge TV deals, so until we get back to playing in front of crowds, our game will remain in grave peril."[44]

In June 2020, chairman of Premier League football side Tottenham Hotspur, Daniel Levy, revealed that the club has taken a loan of £175 million from the Bank of England. The chairman said that money has been taken to tackle with the gripping effects of coronavirus pandemic on the club.[45]

On 30 June 2020, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters announced £1,000,000 as aid for next seasons of the Women's Super League and Championship to mitigate the effect of coronavirus.[46]

The Bundesliga became the first major European league to return following the pandemic on 16 May. In the subsequent weeks, many other leagues followed suit. The Primeira Liga returned on 3 June, La Liga on 11 June, the Premier League on 17 June, and Serie A on 20 June.

On 19 June 2020, FC Rostov lost 1–10 against PFC Sochi in the 2019–20 Russian Premier League, as they fielded their junior team, after six players of the senior team have been infected with COVID-19; hence, the whole team was quarantined.[47]

The Spanish Copa del Rey final was originally scheduled for 18 April 2020, but the match was postponed with the agreement of both participating clubs (Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad) on 11 March (with no new date decided at that point), in the hope that the delay would provide time to contain the outbreak and allow the final to take place with a full stadium as in normal circumstances.[48] Despite this, the final was played on 3 April 2021 behind closed doors.[49]

On 1 July 2020, Wigan Athletic fell into administration after being negatively affected by the pandemic lockdown.[50] By appointing Paul Stanley, Gerald Krasner and Dean Watson from Begbies Traynor, it became the first professional club in England to call up administrators since the pandemic had begun.[51] In addition, many small English football clubs were affected by the pandemic as they rely on ticket sales for revenue.[52]

On 4 July 2020, the DFB-Pokal final was played behind doors between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and FC Bayern Munich.[53] The match was originally scheduled for 23 May 2020 but the German Football Association postponed the final on 24 April due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.[54]

On 24 July 2020, the Coupe de France final was played behind doors between Paris Saint-Germain F.C. and AS Saint-Étienne.[55][56] The match was originally scheduled for 25 April, but was postponed due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic in France.[57][58]

On 1 August 2020, the FA Cup final was played behind closed doors between Arsenal F.C. and Chelsea F.C. It was originally scheduled for 23 May, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.[59] As part of precautions against COVID-19, Arsenal received the trophy on the pitch and not, as in previous seasons, by climbing steps to the Royal Box for the presentation.[60]

That same day, the Taça de Portugal final was played behind doors between S.L. Benfica and FC Porto.[61][62] The final was originally scheduled to take place on 24 May 2020 at the Estádio Nacional venue in Oeiras. However, on 12 March, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) announced that it would be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal.[63][64] On 2 July, it was announced that the final would be played at the Estádio Cidade de Coimbra in Coimbra.[65]

The 2019–20 UEFA Champions League was resumed in August. The quarter-finals onwards were played as single-match knockout ties at neutral venues in Lisbon, Portugal (Estádio da Luz and Estádio José Alvalade) behind closed doors from 12 to 23 August.[66]

The schedule and the format of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League was changed. The tournament would originally have started in June 2020, but was delayed to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.[67] The new schedule was announced by the UEFA Executive Committee on 17 June 2020.[68] All qualifying matches, excluding the play-off round, were played as single leg matches, hosted by one of the teams decided by draw (except the preliminary round which was played at neutral venue).[69][70]

In the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League preliminary round, Kosovar club Drita's match against Linfield in Nyon, Switzerland was called off, due to two players from Drita testing positive for COVID-19 and the whole team being put into quarantine by the Swiss authorities; eventually, Linfield was awarded a 3–0 win.[71] In the first qualifying round of the same competition, Faroese club was awarded a 3–0 win over Slovan Bratislava, in which the match was initially postponed after one staff member from the latter tested positive for COVID-19,[72] followed by a player from this same team,[73] eventually the whole team was put into quarantine by the Faroese authorities,[73] and KÍ were subsequently awarded a technical victory.[74]

On 17 September 2020, a German team, SG Ripdorf/Molzen ll, lost 37–0 against SV Holdenstedt ll in 3. Kreisklasse. SV Holdenstedt II who came into contact in a previous game with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, refused to reschedule the match; hence, SG Ripdorf/Molzen ll competed with only seven men for fear of infection and did not offer any resistance.[75][76]

On 24 September 2020, the UEFA Super Cup was played. The match was originally scheduled to be played at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, on 12 August 2020.[77][78] However, after the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe caused the postponements of the previous season's Champions League and Europa League, the UEFA Executive Committee chose to award the rescheduled Champions League final to Portugal, and postponed and relocated the Super Cup to Puskás Aréna in Budapest.[69][79] The UEFA Executive Committee decided to use the event as a pilot match for which a reduced number of spectators, up to 30% of the capacity of the stadium, were allowed in, becoming the first official UEFA match to have spectators since their competitions were resumed in August 2020.[80]

On 30 September 2020, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund played behind doors the 2020 DFL-Supercup, when the match is usually played in July or August prior to the start of the Bundesliga.[81]

On 4 October 2020, Italian club Napoli decided not to travel to Turin to play a Serie A match against Juventus, following the Azienda Sanitaria Locale (ASL) protocol as two of their players tested positive for COVID-19 along with a staff member.[82] On 14 October, Juventus were awarded a 3–0 win, and Napoli were deducted 1 point by the Disciplinary Commission as punishment for violating the FIGC COVID-19 protocol approved by the Technical-Scientific Committee of the Ministry of Health regarding the activity of professional athletes.[83] On 22 December, the CONI Guarantee Board, overturned the previous decision of the competition judge, accepting the appeal presented by Napoli against the defeat by default and the point deduction and stating that the match must be played.[84] The next day, Lega Serie A postponed the match to a date to be determined following the decision.[85] On 7 April 2021, the match was finally played with a 2–1 victory for Juventus.[86]

On 23 December 2020, FC Porto and S.L. Benfica played behind doors the 2020 Supertaça.[87][88] The match was originally scheduled for the end of July or start of August, but was postponed due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.[89]

In January 2021, Arsenal received a £120m loan from the Bank of England to help offset the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[90]

That same month took place the 2020–21 Supercopa de España. The competition was initially supposed to be held in Saudi Arabia like the previous year, but restrictions related to the global COVID-19 pandemic forced it to remain in Spain. The semi-finals were played behind doors in the cities of Córdoba and Málaga, on 13 and 14 January 2021. The final was played at Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville on 17 January 2021.[91]

On 13 January 2021, took place the 2020 Trophée des Champions. The final was initially supposed to be held outside of France, but restrictions related to the global COVID-19 pandemic forced it to remain in the country.[92][93] The match was finally played behind doors at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens.[94]

On 20 January 2021, took place the 2020 Supercoppa Italiana. The match was initially supposed to be held in December in Saudi Arabia like the previous year, but restrictions related to the global COVID-19 pandemic forced it to remain in Italy.[95] The trophy was finally disputed behind doors at the Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore.[96]

On 17 February 2021, the UEFA Executive Committee decided to cancel the 2020–21 UEFA Youth League.[97]

On 30 March 2021, UEFA announced that both Champions League quarter-final matches on 7 and 13 April between FC Porto and Chelsea would be played at Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, Seville, Spain, due to travel restrictions between Portugal and the United Kingdom.[98]

On 29 May 2021, the 2021 UEFA Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea was disputed. The final was originally scheduled to be played at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg, Russia. However, due to the postponement and relocation of the 2020 final to Lisbon as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the final hosts were shifted back a year, with the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey instead planning to host the 2021 final.[69] Two weeks before the final, UEFA announced that it would be relocated to Porto, Portugal to allow a limited number of fans to attend the match.[99] A capacity limit of 33% was agreed for the 50,000-seater Estádio do Dragão, resulting in an attendance of 14,110.[100]

In December 2021, the German government imposed measures which affected the 2021–22 Bundesliga matches. As a result, the 2G+ rule was implemented and clubs were allowed an attendance of up to 50% and a maximum of 15,000 fans into stadiums in some states, while in other states spectators were once again banned from attending games.[101][102] This also affected two matches in the 2021–22 UEFA Champions LeagueRB Leipzig vs. Manchester City F.C. and FC Bayern Munich vs. FC Barcelona – which were played behind closed doors.[103][104] Restrictions were later extended to all the country, limiting the number of spectators or completely banning the presence of them, up to and including the 9 February 2022.[105][106]

Other December 2021 group stage Champions League matches played without spectators due to COVID-19 restrictions in their respective countries were AFC Ajax vs. Sporting CP and FC Red Bull Salzburg vs. Sevilla FC.[107][108]

North America

[edit]
An FC Cincinnati match during the 2020 Major League Soccer season played without fans (August 2020)

On 12 March 2020, the CONCACAF Champions League was suspended with immediate effect.[109] All other CONCACAF competitions scheduled for the next month were also suspended.[110] On 10 November, it was announced that the competition would resume in December and be played in Orlando with single-leg, neutral venue matches.[111]

Also on 12 March, the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), whose season was not scheduled to start until 18 April, canceled its preseason matches,[112] and also imposed a moratorium on team training that initially ran through 22 March.[113]

On 12 March Major League Soccer was suspended for 30 days.[114] On 19 March, Major League Soccer's suspension was extended to a target return date of 10 May.[115] On 14 April, MLS announced that it was "extremely unlikely based on the guidance of federal and local public health authorities" that they would meet this target, and stated that "our goal remains to play as many games as possible, and while we currently have enough dates to play the entire season, we recognize at this time that it may become difficult to do so."[116] The 2020 U.S. Open Cup, 2020 Leagues Cup, 2020 Campeones Cup and 2020 MLS All-Star Game were also all cancelled.[117][118]

On 20 March, the Canadian Premier League announced a postponement of their season which was scheduled to start on 11 April.[119]

The 2019–20 Major Arena Soccer League season was terminated early, effective 12 March.[120]

The USL Championship suspended the 2020 season on 12 March, for at least 30 days.[121]

The National Independent Soccer Association suspended the Spring portion of its 2019–20 season on 12 March for at least 30 days.[122] On 27 April, following a second suspension of play, NISA announced it would cancel the rest of its 2020 Spring season.[123][124]

Match week 10 of Liga MX, Women's Liga MX, and Ascenso MX took place but as of 15 March, club owners and league executives had then taken a decision to postpone all Mexican football activity until further notice.[125] As of 22 May, Mexican football executives announce the termination of the remainder of the current Clausura 2020 championship.[126]

A sculpture outside the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas wore a NSHOF-branded face mask during summer 2021.

On 10 June, Major League Soccer announced a return to action on 8 July with a mini-tournament, called the MLS is Back Tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida, with all group stage matches counting towards the regular season standings.[127] The regular season was then resumed with fewer fixtures and reduced or no attendance allowed, with the playoffs beginning in November.[128] Canadian teams in the league had to play the remainder of their fixtures in the United States, due to travel restrictions between the borders.[129] This would later continue through the 2021 season after travel restrictions continued to remain in effect.[130]

On 24 July, Liga MX inaugurated the 2020–21 Liga MX season, also known as Torneo Guard1anes 2020. The season was dedicated to Mexico's frontline healthcare and medical staff. Mazatlán F.C. debuted in Liga MX, replacing the dissolved Monarcas Morelia.[131]

On 29 July, the Canadian Premier League announced a return to play on 13 August with a modified format called "The Island Games" to determine a 2020 champion. These games were played behind closed doors at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The shortened season ended in September with the Finals.[132]

South America

[edit]

On 12 March 2020, CONMEBOL announced that the Copa Libertadores would be temporarily suspended.[133] In addition, the Copa Sudamericana have been suspended after first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to be resumed on 27 October 2020, with the final rescheduled to be played in late January 2021.[134]

On 15 March, all top-tier football in Brazil was suspended until April.[135]

Academic research analyzes and compares the safe return protocols of major football leagues and associations to those of the Brazilian Championship, as well as to survey the numbers of COVID-19 outbreaks in clubs that competed in the 2020 Brazilian Championship Series A. The documentary research was carried out through the analysis of articles published on open-source football league and federation websites. National and international return protocols were verified, as well as the documenting of isolated cases and outbreaks of COVID-19 in the Brazilian Championship. In the Brazilian Championship, the return to play occurred at a time when COVID-19 case numbers were rising, a fact that, together with the decentralization of the match cities, was likely linked to the number of positive cases.[136]

Oceania

[edit]

In New Zealand, the three main competitions, the New Zealand Football Championship, the Chatham Cup and the Kate Sheppard Cup were all cancelled by New Zealand Football. The 2019–20 New Zealand Football Championship season was concluded after 18 weeks, with Auckland City declared the winner.[137] On 23 April, both the national Men's and Women's knock-out cups were cancelled a week before the preliminary rounds were due to kick off.[138] It was the first time the Chatham Cup had been cancelled since the end of World War II.[138] On 15 January 2021, FIFA announced that Auckland City had withdrawn from the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related quarantine measures required by the New Zealand authorities.[139] On 4 June 2021, the OFC announced that the 2021 OFC Champions League had been cancelled, and no champions would be awarded for the second season in a row.[140]

International football

[edit]

On 13 March 2020, FIFA announced that clubs did not have to release players to their national teams during the international windows of March and April 2020, while players also had the option to decline a call-up without any consequences. FIFA also recommended that all international matches during these windows be postponed, though the final decision was left to the competition organisers or member associations for friendly matches.[141]

FIFA World Cup qualification

[edit]

The qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, it was announced that Asian qualifier matches due to take place in March and June 2020 were postponed to later dates.[142] The South American qualifiers due to take place in March 2020 were also postponed to later dates.[143]

FIFA Club World Cup

[edit]

The 2020 FIFA Club World Cup was postponed from 2020 to 2021,[144] as the AFC, CONMEBOL, and CONCACAF champions would not have been decided in time for the tournament. Originally to be held in December 2020, on 17 November of the same year FIFA announced that the competition would be played between 1 and 11 February 2021.[145]

Originally seven teams were to compete in the tournament. However, OFC's representatives Auckland City withdrew due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related quarantine measures required by the New Zealand authorities. As a result, only six teams competed, and the first round match, originally scheduled on 1 February 2021, was awarded as a 3–0 win to their first round opponents, host Qatar's representatives Al-Duhail, who advanced automatically to the second round on 4 February 2021.[146]

Attendance was limited to only 30% of the stadiums' seating capacity.[147] A third stadium in Al Rayyan, Khalifa International Stadium, would originally have hosted two matches, but following the withdrawal of Auckland City and the subsequent revision of the match schedule, it was not used for the tournament.[148][149][150]

The 2021 edition was also affected by COVID-19 restrictions. On 4 December 2020, the FIFA Council announced that the Club World Cup would be held in late 2021 and hosted by Japan.[151] However, on 8 September 2021, the Japan Football Association dropped its commitment to host the tournament, owing to the possibility of restrictions on fan attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.[152][153] On 20 October 2021, the FIFA Council named the United Arab Emirates as the host of the tournament, and postponed the event from late 2021 to early 2022.[154]

Also, on 4 June 2021, the OFC announced that the 2021 OFC Champions League had been cancelled due to border closures throughout the Pacific caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and no champions would be awarded.[155] The OFC representative at the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup, which would have originally been the winners of the 2021 OFC Champions League, was confirmed to be Auckland City by the OFC on 3 August 2021. The team was chosen by the OFC Executive Committee based on sporting merit principles, which used an overall ranking which took into consideration the final placing of each OFC Champions League between 2016 and 2020, and applied to the clubs nominated by their member association to qualify for the 2021 OFC Champions League.[156] However, on 31 December 2021, Auckland City withdrew from the competition due to delayed reopening of the borders in New Zealand related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the reintroduction of the mandatory managed isolation and quarantine system upon returning to the country. As a result, Tahitian AS Pirae were nominated as the OFC's representative in their place.[157]

Olympic qualification

[edit]

Play-off matches between South Korea and China in the 2020 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament were also postponed.[158]

Continental tournaments

[edit]

On 9 March 2020, the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) announced that all tournaments were postponed until May 2020.[159]

On 17 March 2020, the CAF announced that the 2020 African Nations Championship had been postponed to a later date due to the pandemic.[160] On 30 June CAF announced that the tournament would be held in January 2021.

On 10 September 2020, the AFC announced that the 2020 AFC Solidarity Cup would be cancelled.[161]

Concerns were raised regarding UEFA Euro 2020, being held in twelve host cities across Europe, and the potential impact of the coronavirus on players, staff and tournament visitors.[162] UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said the organisation was confident that the situation could be dealt with, while general secretary Theodore Theodoridis stated that UEFA was maintaining contact with the World Health Organization and national governments regarding the coronavirus.[163] UEFA announced that a videoconference would be held on 17 March with representatives of its 55 member associations, along with a FIFPro representative and the boards of the European Club Association and European Leagues, to discuss the response to the outbreak for domestic and European competitions, including Euro 2020.[164] The tournament was moved by 12 months.[165] On 23 April 2021, UEFA announced that Seville (La Cartuja) would replace Bilbao as tournament host, while the matches of Dublin (Aviva Stadium) would be reallocated to Saint Petersburg for the group stage and London for the round of 16.[166]

Similarly, the UEFA Women's Euro was moved from 2021 to 2022, due to the original dates clashing with the rearranged 2020 Summer Olympics dates.[167]

On 17 March 2020, CONMEBOL announced that the 2020 edition of Copa América was postponed to 2021.[168]

On 21 April 2020, the Oceania Football Confederation announced that due to the pandemic and the difficulty in rescheduling to another date in the FIFA International Match Calendar, the 2020 OFC Nations Cup would be cancelled.[169]

In the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, two matches: Romania v Norway and Switzerland v Ukraine, were cancelled due to positive tests in the Norwegian and Ukrainian team respectively. As a result, the quarantine prevented them from travelling.[170][171]

The 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup was marred with COVID-19 cases among many of its participating teams. Most affected were host India who were forced to withdraw from the tournament due to too many players rendered unavailable either due to COVID-19 or injuries.[172]

Youth tournaments

[edit]

On 3 April 2020, FIFA announced that the 2020 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, scheduled to be held in Panama and Costa Rica in August, and the 2020 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, scheduled to be held in India in November, would be postponed and rescheduled.[173]

Collegiate soccer

[edit]

Two National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I members announced that they had eliminated their men's soccer teams effective immediately. First, on 14 April, the University of Cincinnati shuttered its team, citing "profound challenges and widespread uncertainty" resulting from the pandemic.[174] Then, on 26 May, Appalachian State University dropped three men's teams, including soccer, "in response to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic".[175]

List of affected events

[edit]

Leagues

[edit]

List of affected top-flight football leagues:

Curtailed

[edit]
League Country Season Start date Cancellation date Champions (if awarded) Source
Liga Panameña de Fútbol  Panama Apertura 2020 25 January 2020 17 March 2020 None [183]
New Zealand Football Championship  New Zealand 2019–20 1 November 2019 18 March 2020 Auckland City [137]
Primera División de El Salvador  El Salvador Clausura 2020 18 January 2020 20 March 2020 None [184]
Liga Nacional de Guatemala  Guatemala Clausura 2020 17 January 2020 25 March 2020 None [185]
Super League Vrouwenvoetbal  Belgium 2019–20 23 August 2019 27 March 2020 RSC Anderlecht [186]
Mauritian Premier League  Mauritius 2019–20 22 November 2019 6 April 2020 None [187]
Czech First Division (women)  Czech Republic 2019–20 17 August 2019 7 April 2020 Slavia Praha [188]
Premier League of Belize  Belize 2019–20 C 11 January 2020 18 April 2020 None [189]
I-League  India 2019–20 30 November 2019 18 April 2020 Mohun Bagan [190]
ÖFB Frauen Bundesliga  Austria 2019–20 17 August 2019 22 April 2020 None [191]
Eredivisie  Netherlands 2019–20 2 August 2019 24 April 2020 None [192]
Eredivisie Vrouwen  Netherlands 2019–20 23 August 2019 24 April 2020 None [193]
Primera División  Argentina 2019–20 26 July 2019 28 April 2020 Boca Juniors [194]
Ligue 1  France 2019–20 9 August 2019 28 April 2020 Paris Saint-Germain [195]
Division 1 Féminine  France 2019–20 24 August 2019 28 April 2020 Olympique Lyonnais [196]
Luxembourg National Division  Luxembourg 2019–20 3 August 2019 28 April 2020 None [197]
Liga Nacional  Honduras Clausura 2020 10 January 2020 29 April 2020 None [198]
Girabola  Angola 2019–20 November 2019 30 April 2020 None [199]
Gibraltar National League  Gibraltar 2019–20 12 August 2019 1 May 2020 None [200]
Guinée Championnat National  Guinea 2019–20 October 2019 1 May 2020 None [201]
Kenya Premier League  Kenya 2019–20 2019 1 May 2020 Gor Mahia [202]
Niger Premier League  Niger 2019–20 2019 4 May 2020 None [203]
Burkinabé Premier League  Burkina Faso 2019–20 16 August 2019 5 May 2020 None [204]
Congo Premier League  Republic of the Congo 2019–20 5 October 2019 5 May 2020 AS Otohô [205]
Ethiopian Premier League  Ethiopia 2019–20 November 2019 5 May 2020 None [206]
Liberian First Division  Liberia 2020 29 December 2019 4 May 2020 None [207]
Primera División (women)  Spain 2019–20 7 September 2019 6 May 2020 Barcelona [208]
Elite One  Cameroon 2020 2020 12 May 2020 PWD Bamenda [209]
Linafoot  Democratic Republic of the Congo 2019–20 15 August 2019 13 May 2020 TP Mazembe [210]
Jupiler Pro League  Belgium 2019–20 26 July 2019 15 May 2020 Club Brugge [211]
Cypriot First Division  Cyprus 2019–20 23 August 2019 15 May 2020 None [212]
National Premier League  Jamaica 2019–20 1 September 2019 15 May 2020 None [213]
Venezuelan Primera División  Venezuela 2020 30 January 2020 15 May 2020 None [214]
Tahiti Ligue 1  Tahiti 2019–20 27 September 2019 16 May 2020 Pirae [215]
Bangladesh Premier League  Bangladesh 2020 13 February 2020 17 May 2020 None [216]
Maltese Premier League  Malta 2019–20 23 August 2019 18 May 2020 Floriana [217]
Scottish Premiership  Scotland 2019–20 3 August 2019 18 May 2020 Celtic [218]
Cymru Premier  Wales 2019–20 16 August 2019 19 May 2020 Connah's Quay Nomads [219]
Uganda Premier League  Uganda 2019–20 2019 20 May 2020 Vipers
FUFA Women Super League  Uganda 2019–20 2019 20 May 2020 None [220]
GFA League First Division  The Gambia 2019–20 6 December 2019 21 May 2020 None
South Sudan Football Championship  South Sudan 2020 20 February 2020 21 May 2020 None
Liga MX  Mexico Clausura 2020 10 January 2020 22 May 2020 None [221]
Liga MX Femenil  Mexico Clausura 2020 4 January 2020 22 May 2020 None [221]
Rwanda Premier League  Rwanda 2019–20 4 October 2019 22 May 2020 APR
FA Women's Super League  England 2019–20 7 September 2019 25 May 2020 Chelsea [222]
Togolese Championnat National  Togo 2019–20 6 October 2019 26 May 2020 ASKO Kara [223]
Lebanese Premier League  Lebanon 2019–20 20 September 2019 28 May 2020 None [224]
Premijer liga  Bosnia and Herzegovina 2019–20 20 July 2019 1 June 2020 Sarajevo [225]
Iraqi Premier League  Iraq 2019–20 18 September 2019 3 June 2020 None [226]
Macedonian First Football League  North Macedonia 2019–20 11 August 2019 4 June 2020 Vardar [227]
Serie A (women)  Italy 2019–20 14 September 2019 8 June 2020 Juventus [228]
Botswana Premier League  Botswana 2019–20 31 August 2019 15 June 2020 Jwaneng Galaxy [229]
UAE Pro League  United Arab Emirates 2019–20 19 September 2019 18 June 2020 None [230]
Benin Premier League  Benin 2019–20 6 October 2019 29 June 2020 None [231]
Ghana Premier League  Ghana 2019–20 28 December 2019 30 June 2020 None [232]
Turkish Women's First Football League  Turkey 2019–20 20 October 2019 8 July 2020 None [233]
Senegal Premier League  Senegal 2019–20 7 December 2019 9 July 2020 None [234]
Nigeria Professional Football League  Nigeria 2019–20 3 November 2019 10 July 2020 None [235]
Sierra Leone National Premier League  Sierra Leone 2019–20 4 December 2019 15 July 2020 None [236]
Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1  Algeria 2019–20 15 August 2019 29 July 2020 CR Belouizdad [237]

Postponed

[edit]
League Country Season Original schedule Postponed Resumed Source
Ýokary Liga  Turkmenistan 2020 6 March 2020 (start date) 23 March 2020 19 April 2020 [238]
K League 1  South Korea 2020 29 February – 4 October 2020 24 February 2020 8 May 2020 [239]
Faroe Islands Premier League  Faroe Islands 2020 8 March 2020 – 7 November 2020 8 March 2020 9 May 2020 [240]
Bundesliga  Germany 2019–20 16 August 2019 – 27 June 2020 13 March 2020 16 May 2020 [241]
Liga FPD  Costa Rica Clausura 2020 11 January 2020 – 17 or 31 May 2020 18 March 2020 19 May 2020 [242]
Meistriliiga  Estonia 2020 6 March 2020 – 7 November 2020 8 March 2020 19 May 2020 [243]
Nemzeti Bajnokság I  Hungary 2019–20 21 July 2019 – May 2020 16 March 2020 17 May 2020 [244]
Burundi Premier League  Burundi 2019–20 10 August 2019 – April 2020 5 April 2020 21 May 2020 [245]
Czech First League  Czech Republic 2019–20 12 July 2019 – May 2020 12 March 2020 25 May 2020 [246]
Syrian Premier League  Syria 2019–20 20 October 2019 – May 2020 9 March 2020 28 May 2020 [247]
Danish Superliga  Denmark 2019–20 12 July 2019 – 24 May 2020 12 March 2020 29 May 2020 [248]
Frauen-Bundesliga  Germany 2019–20 17 August 2019 – 17 May 2020 16 March 2020 29 May 2020 [249]
Ekstraklasa  Poland 2019–20 12 July 2019 – 17 May 2020 13 March 2020 29 May 2020 [245]
A Lyga  Lithuania 2020 8 March 2020 – 7 November 2020 12 March 2020 30 May 2020 [250]
SuperLiga  Serbia 2019–20 19 July 2019 – May 2020 15 March 2020 30 May 2020 [251]
Ukrainian Premier League  Ukraine 2019–20 28 July 2019 – May 2020 17 March 2020 30 May 2020 [252]
Israeli Premier League  Israel 2019–20 24 August 2019 – May 2020 12 March 2020 30 May 2020 [253]
Montenegrin First League  Montenegro 2019–20 3 August 2019 – May 2020 13 March 2020 1 June 2020 [254]
Austrian Football Bundesliga  Austria 2019–20 26 July 2019 – 7 March 2020 18 March 2020 2 June 2020 [255]
Kategoria Superiore  Albania 2019–20 23 August 2019 – May 2020 12 March 2020 3 June 2020 [256]
Primeira Liga  Portugal 2019–20 9 August 2019 – 17 May 2020 12 March 2020 3 June 2020 [257]
First Professional Football League  Bulgaria 2019–20 12 July 2019 – May 2020 13 March 2020 5 June 2020 [258]
Slovenian PrvaLiga  Slovenia 2019–20 13 July 2019 – 15 May 2020 12 March 2020 5 June 2020 [259]
V.League 1  Vietnam 2020 6 March 2020 (start date) 16 March 2020 (first suspension)
26 July 2020 (second suspension)
5 June 2020 (first resumption)
9 October 2020 (second resumption)
[260][261]
Croatian First Football League  Croatia 2019–20 19 July 2019 – May 2020 12 March 2020 6 June 2020 [262]
Super League Greece  Greece 2019–20 24 August 2019 – May 2020 13 March 2020 6 June 2020 [263]
La Liga  Spain 2019–20 16 August 2019 – 24 May 2020 12 March 2020 11 June 2020 [264]
Liga I  Romania 2019–20 12 July 2019 – June 2020 12 March 2020 12 June 2020 [265]
Süper Lig  Turkey 2019–20 16 August 2019 – May 2020 19 March 2020 12 June 2020 [266]
Slovak First Football League  Slovakia 2019–20 20 July 2019 – 24 May 2020 12 March 2020 13 June 2020 [267]
Allsvenskan  Sweden 2020 4 April 2020 – 8 November 2020 19 March 2020 14 June 2020 [268]
Eliteserien  Norway 2020 4 April 2020 – 29 November 2020 12 March 2020 16 June 2020 [269]
Premier League  England 2019–20 9 August 2019 – 17 May 2020 13 March 2020 17 June 2020 [270]
Russian Premier League  Russia 2019–20 12 July 2019 – May 2020 17 March 2020 19 June 2020 [271]
League of Ireland  Republic of Ireland 2020 14 February 2020 – 30 October 2020 12 March 2020 31 July 2020 [272][273]
Swiss Super League   Switzerland 2019–20 19 July 2019 – May 2020 28 February 2020 19 June 2020 [274]
Serie A  Italy 2019–20 25 August 2019 – 24 May 2020 9 March 2020 20 June 2020 [275]
Persian Gulf Pro League  Iran 2019–20 23 August 2019 – May 2020 11 March 2020 24 June 2020 [276]
Veikkausliiga  Finland 2020 3 April 2020 – 1 September 2020 13 March 2020 1 July 2020 [277]
Kazakhstan Premier League  Kazakhstan 2020 7 March 2020 (start date) 16 March 2020 1 July 2020 (first resumption)
18 August 2020 (second resumption)
[278]
J1 League  Japan 2020 21 February – 5 December 2020 25 February 2020 4 July 2020 [279]
Major League Soccer  United States
 Canada
2020 29 February – 7 November 2020 12 March 2020 8 July 2020 [280]
A-League Australia Australia 2019–20 11 October – 26 April 2020 24 March 2020 17 July 2020 [281]
Nadeshiko League  Japan 2020 2 May 2020 (start date) March 2020 18 July 2020 [282]
Paraguayan Primera División  Paraguay 2020 17 January 2020 (start date) 13 March 2020 21 July 2020 [283]
Qatar Stars League  Qatar 2019–20 21 August 2019 – April 2020 16 March 2020 24 July 2020 [284]
Chinese Super League  China 2020 22 February 2020 – 31 October 2020 30 January 2020 25 July 2020 [285]
Botola  Morocco 2019–20 14 September 2019 – May 2020 14 March 2020 27 July 2020 [286]
Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1  Tunisia 2019–20 24 August 2019 – June 2020 16 March 2020 1 August 2020 [287]
Saudi Professional League  Saudi Arabia 2019–20 22 August 2019 – May 2020 15 March 2020 4 August 2020 [288]
Egyptian Premier League  Egypt 2019–20 21 September 2019 – May 2020 14 March 2020 9 August 2020 [289]
Canadian Premier League  Canada 2020 11 April 2020 – 4 October 2020 20 March 2020 13 August 2020 [290]
Philippines Football League  Philippines 2020 May 2020 (start date) 13 March 2020 25 October 2020 [291]

Cancelled

[edit]
League Country Season Original schedule Cancellation date Source
Philippines Football League  Philippines 2021 21 August 2021 (start date) 22 October 2021 [292][293][294]

Tournaments

[edit]

Cancelled

[edit]
Tournament Host country Original schedule Cancellation date Source
2020 OFC Nations Cup  New Zealand 6–20 June 2020 21 April 2020 [169]
2020 AFC Solidarity Cup N/A 30 November – 13 December 2020 10 September 2020 [161]
2020 AFC Cup N/A 10 February – 7 November 2020 10 September 2020 [14]

Awards

[edit]

Cancelled

[edit]
Award Event Cancellation date Source
Ballon d'Or 2020 Ballon d'Or 20 July 2020 [295][296]
Ballon d'Or Féminin
Kopa Trophy
Yashin Trophy

References

[edit]

 This article incorporates text by Leonardo José Mataruna-Dos-Santos, Pedro da Gama Roberto de Albuquerque, Gabriel de Almeida Vasconcellos, Rodrigo Mendonça do Nascimento, Nadine Tonelli Cavalari, Daniel Range, Andressa Fontes Guimarães-Mataruna, and Bianca Ortiz-Silva available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

  1. ^ ""Копетдаг" ушёл от поражения в матче возобновившегося чемпионата Туркменистана по футболу | Спорт". Туркменистан, интернет портал о культурной, деловой и развлекательной жизни в Туркменистане. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Turkmenistan Higher League to resume on April 19 | Sport". turkmenportal.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  3. ^ En el planeta fútbol, solo Nicaragua y Bielorrusia continúan con sus torneos Archived 30 March 2020 at the Wayback Machine la-razon.com (in Spanish)
  4. ^ "OFFICIAL: CAF postpone Interclubs competitions semi-finals". Kingfut.com. 10 September 2020. Archived from the original on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  5. ^ "中国足协关于2020赛季国内足球赛事延期开始的公告". Chinese Football Association (in Chinese). 30 January 2020. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  6. ^ Chan, Kin-wa (23 January 2020). "Wuhan coronavirus: Lunar New Year Cup cancelled by government just hours after HKFA promotes the event". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  7. ^ "K-League season postponed as COVID-19 spreads in South Korea". The Japan Times. Associated Press. 24 February 2020. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  8. ^ Orlowitz, Dan (25 February 2020). "Amid COVID-19 outbreak, J. League postpones all matches until March 15". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  9. ^ "AFC Competitions update". Asian Football Confederation. 9 March 2020. Archived from the original on 14 March 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  10. ^ "AIFF Statement". All India Football Federation. 14 March 2020. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  11. ^ "Beijing halts sports events after new Covid cases". SportBusiness. 15 June 2020. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  12. ^ "AFC reiterates commitment to complete 2020 competitions with new calendar". AFC. 9 July 2020. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  13. ^ "AFC Cup revised schedule". AFC. 9 July 2020. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Football: Asian Football Confederation cancels second-tier AFC Cup due to Covid-19 pandemic". The Straits Times. 10 September 2020. Archived from the original on 10 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  15. ^ "Qatar to host 2020 AFC Champions League in the West region". Asian Football Confederation. 16 July 2020. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  16. ^ "Al Wahda unable to travel to AFC Champions League (West)". Asian Football Confederation. 10 September 2020. Archived from the original on 17 September 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  17. ^ "AFC COVID-19 Sub Committee's decision on Al Wahda". Asian Football Confederation. 14 September 2020. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  18. ^ "Không đủ người thi đấu, nhà vô địch Al Hilal bị loại khỏi AFC Champions League". Báo Thanh Niên (in Vietnamese). 24 September 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  19. ^ "Al Hilal – Update on AFC Champions League". Asian Football Confederation. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  20. ^ "Johor Darul Ta'zim forced out of Asian Champions League after Malaysia refuses to lift travel restrictions". ESPN. 11 November 2020. Archived from the original on 20 November 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  21. ^ "Latest update on AFC Champions League 2020". Asian Football Confederation. 13 November 2020. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  22. ^ "AFC Executive Committee announces updates to 2020 competitions calendar". AFC. 10 September 2020.
  23. ^ "Latest update on AFC Competitions in 2021". Asian Football Confederation. 25 January 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Latest update on AFC Champions League". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  25. ^ "Shanghai Port out of AFC Champions League as Kaya make history". South China Morning Post. 24 June 2021. Archived from the original on 5 July 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  26. ^ "Update on UEFA competition matches being played this week". UEFA. 26 February 2020. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  27. ^ "Update on UEFA competition matches". UEFA. 10 March 2020. Archived from the original on 29 April 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  28. ^ "Postponement of Youth tournaments". UEFA.com. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 29 April 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  29. ^ "All of next week's UEFA matches postponed". UEFA. 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  30. ^ "Coronavirus: All sport in Italy to be suspended because of outbreak". BBC Sport. 9 March 2020. Archived from the original on 11 March 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  31. ^ Lowe, Sid (12 March 2020). "Real Madrid players in quarantine and La Liga suspended due to coronavirus". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  32. ^ "Streep door Eredivisie én interlands van Oranje in maart". Telegraaf. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 3 April 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  33. ^ "Coronavirus: Bundesliga suspended until 2 April". Bundesliga. 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  34. ^ "Coronavirus: How the virus has impacted sporting events around the world". BBC. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 21 May 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  35. ^ "Communiqué de la LFP" (in French). lfp.fr. 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  36. ^ "LFP : l'assemblée générale vote à 74,49 % le maintien d'une Ligue 1 à vingt clubs". L'Équipe. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  37. ^ "Manchester City vs. Arsenal postponed after players exposed to Olympiakos owner Evangelos Marinakis". ESPN. Archived from the original on 11 March 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  38. ^ "Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta tests positive for coronavirus, match against Brighton postponed". ESPN. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  39. ^ "Official: Gabbiadini has Coronavirus". Football Italia. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  40. ^ "Chelsea FC training facility will undergo partial closure after men's team player tested positive for COVID-19". Chelsea Football Club. 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  41. ^ "Coronavirus: Juventus centre-back Daniele Rugani tests positive for virus". British Broadcasting Corporation. 11 March 2020. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  42. ^ "Coronavirus: Premier League and EFL suspended until 3 April at earliest". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 14 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  43. ^ "Amid global coronavirus pandemic, new Belarus season starts". AS. 19 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  44. ^ "Scottish football in 'grave peril' facing as sport bodies meet government". BBC Sport. 5 May 2020. Archived from the original on 5 May 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  45. ^ "Coronavirus: Tottenham borrow £175m to cover costs incurred due to pandemic". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  46. ^ "Premier League funding to help English women's soccer resume". FOX Sports. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  47. ^ "Rostov keeper sets new record despite 10–1 loss as youngsters forced to play while first team are quarantined". Goal.com. 20 June 2020. Archived from the original on 1 September 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  48. ^ "The final of the Copa del Rey postponed". Athletic Bilbao. 11 March 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  49. ^ "Official: The Copa del Rey 2019–20 final set for April 3". Athletic Bilbao. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  50. ^ Houghton, Tom (1 July 2020). "Wigan Athletic falls into administration after 'significant impact' of Covid-19 pandemic – urgent race to find buyer begins". Business Live. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  51. ^ Stone, Simon (1 July 2020). "Wigan Athletic: Championship club goes into administration". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  52. ^ "Coronavirus: How COVID-19 is hitting smaller English football clubs hardest". euronews.com. 5 June 2020. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  53. ^ "4:2 gegen Leverkusen: 20. Pokalsieg für den FC Bayern" [4–2 against Leverkusen: 20th cup win for FC Bayern]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 4 July 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  54. ^ "Präsidium verlegt Termin des Pokalendspiels" [Executive Committee postpones date of cup final]. DFB.de (in German). German Football Association. 24 April 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  55. ^ "Coupes : les arbitres des finales désignés" [Cups: Designated Final Referees]. FFF.fr (in French). French Football Federation. 26 June 2020. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  56. ^ "Rennes 2 PSG 2 (6-5 on penalties)". BBC Sport. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  57. ^ "2020 French Cup Final". stadefrance.com. Stade De France. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  58. ^ "France » Coupe de France 2019/2020 » Final". worldfootball.net. World Football. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  59. ^ "FA Cup final to be held on 1 August with quarter-finals resuming on 27 June". The Guardian. 29 May 2020. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  60. ^ "FA Cup final: Winners to collect trophy on Wembley pitch". BBC Sport. 30 July 2020. Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  61. ^ "Benfica-FC Porto na final da Taça de Portugal: dragões venceram Ac. Viseu". ojogo.pt (in Portuguese). O Jogo. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  62. ^ "Benfica vs. Porto - 24 May 2020". soccerway.com. Soccerway. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  63. ^ "FPF anuncia suspensão das competições de futebol e futsal por tempo indeterminado". zerozero.pt (in Portuguese). ZOS. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  64. ^ "Campeonato Português é suspenso indefinidamente devido a novo coronavírus". efe.com (in Portuguese). Agencia EFE. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  65. ^ "Final da Taça de Portugal joga-se em Coimbra". fpf.pt. Portuguese Football Federation. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  66. ^ "Champions League to resume on 7 August". UEFA.com. 17 June 2020.
  67. ^ "2020/21 UEFA Champions League: all you need to know". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 July 2020.
  68. ^ "Updated UEFA competitions calendar". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  69. ^ a b c "UEFA competitions to resume in August". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2020. Archived from the original on 25 August 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  70. ^ "Venues for Round of 16 matches confirmed". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 July 2020.
  71. ^ "Coronavirus: Linfield handed Champions League walkover after FC Drita positive tests". Sky Sports. 12 August 2020. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  72. ^ "ŠK Slovan Bratislava oznámil nový dátum zápasu s KÍ Klaksvík" [ŠK Slovan Bratislava announced a new date of the match with KÍ Klaksvík] (in Slovak). Šport.sk. 19 August 2020. Archived from the original on 10 October 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  73. ^ a b "Slovan nebude hrať ani v piatok, o prípadnej kontumácii rozhodne UEFA" [Slovan will not play on Friday either, UEFA will decide on a possible default] (in Slovak). Šport.sme.sk. 21 August 2020. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  74. ^ "UEFA Appeals Body renders decision on UCL first qualifying round match KÍ Klaksvík v ŠK Slovan Bratislava". UEFA. 24 August 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  75. ^ "Gegen Holdenstedt llSG Ripdorf/Molzen ll streikt aus Angst vor Virus und verliert mit 0:37". focus.de (in German). 17 September 2020. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  76. ^ "Coronavirus: Football team loses 37–0 in socially distanced match". BBC. 17 September 2020. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  77. ^ "Istanbul to host 2020 UEFA Champions League Final". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  78. ^ "2020/21 UEFA Champions League match calendar". Union of European Football Associations. 24 September 2019.
  79. ^ "2020 UEFA Super Cup: new date and venue". UEFA.com. 17 June 2020.
  80. ^ "UEFA Super Cup to test partial return of spectators". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 25 August 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  81. ^ "Bundesliga | Saison 2020/2021: Spieltage 1 bis 8" [Bundesliga | 2020–21 season: Matchday 1 to 8] (PDF). DFL.de (in German). Deutsche Fußball Liga. 21 August 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  82. ^ "Juve-Napoli:ecco documento Asl, non contempla protocollo gare". ansa.it (in Italian). Rome. 3 October 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  83. ^ "Serie A award Juventus 3–0 win after Napoli decline to travel for match in Turin". Goal.com. 14 October 2020. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  84. ^ "ACCOLTO IL RICORSO DEL NAPOLI ANNULLATA LA SCONFITTA A TAVOLINO E IL PUNTO DI PENALIZZAZIONE". coni.it (in Italian). Rome. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  85. ^ "Comunicato Ufficiale N° 126. Serie A TIM - Rinvio gara Juventus-Napoli" (PDF) (in Italian). Milan: Serie A. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  86. ^ "Serie A: Lukaku helps Inter move 11 points clear with Sassuolo win". The Guardian. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  87. ^ "Supertaça a 23 de dezembro". FPF (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  88. ^ "FC Porto conquista Supertaça" [FC Porto wins Super Cup]. fpf.pt (in Portuguese). Federação Portuguesa de Futebol. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  89. ^ SAPO. "Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira suspensa. Há acordo entre Benfica, FC Porto e FPF". SAPO Desporto (in Portuguese). Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  90. ^ "Arsenal receive £120m Bank of England COVID-19 loan". Sky Sports. 7 January 2021. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  91. ^ "La Asamblea de la RFEF aprueba la celebración de la Supercopa de España en Andalucía". rfef.es (in Spanish). 17 December 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  92. ^ "Trois pistes pour le Trophée des champions 2020 : Abidjan, Minneapolis ou... la France - Foot - T. champions". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  93. ^ SPORT, RMC. "PSG: vers un Trophée des champions contre l'OM en janvier 2021". RMC SPORT (in French). Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  94. ^ "Neymar and Icardi fire Pochettino to first title". ligue1.com. Ligue de Football Professionnel. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  95. ^ Proch, Daniele (21 January 2021). "Juventus Wins Italian Super Cup As Serie A Makes The Most Of An Event Battered By Covid-19". forbes.com. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  96. ^ "Supercoppa Italiana 2020. Chi sfiderà il Napoli? Le ipotesi su avversaria e data" (in Italian). Il Sussidiario. 18 June 2020.
  97. ^ "2020/21 UEFA Youth League cancelled". UEFA.com. 17 February 2021.
  98. ^ "Porto vs Chelsea games to be played in Seville". UEFA. 30 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  99. ^ "UEFA Champions League final to move to Portugal to allow 6,000 fans of each team to attend". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 13 May 2021. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  100. ^ UEFA.com (29 May 2021). "2021 Champions League final: all you need to know". UEFA.com. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  101. ^ "Bundesliga crowds limited to 15,000 as restrictions reintroduced amid rising Covid cases in Germany". skysports.com. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  102. ^ "Matches behind closed doors until end of year". Munich: FC Bayern München. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  103. ^ "RB Leipzig furious as fans again shut out to curb Covid". france24.com. Berlin. 20 November 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  104. ^ "COVID forces Bayern behind closed doors again". beinsports.com. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  105. ^ "Matches behind closed doors until 9 February". allianz-arena.com. Munich. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  106. ^ "NEWS IN BRIEF AHEAD OF #BMGB04: REUNION FOR ADLI". Leverkusen: Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 15 January 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  107. ^ "Ajax maintain 100% record as Haller scores again". reuters.com. Amsterdam. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  108. ^ "Okafor strike sees Salzburg to historic win over Sevilla". reuters.com. Salzburg. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  109. ^ "Concacaf suspends Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League with immediate effect". CONCACAF Champions League. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 15 March 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  110. ^ "CONCACAF Champions League". CONCACAF. 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  111. ^ "Orlando's Exploria Stadium to host final stages of 2020 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League". CONCACAF Champions League. 10 November 2020. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  112. ^ "Statement from NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird regarding the 2020 season" (Press release). National Women's Soccer League. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  113. ^ "COVID-19 resources and updates for NWSL fans" (Press release). National Women's Soccer League. 17 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  114. ^ "MLS suspends 2020 season for 30 days due to coronavirus". mlssoccer.com. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 13 March 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  115. ^ "MLS extends season suspension in accordance with CDC guidance on COVID-19". mlssoccer.com. 19 March 2020. Archived from the original on 23 April 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  116. ^ "Garber: MLS mulling tourney, neutral-site games". ESPN.com. 13 April 2020. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  117. ^ "2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Cancelled Due to COVID-19" (Press release). United States Soccer Federation. 17 August 2020. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  118. ^ "MLS All-Star Game, Leagues Cup and Campeones Cup canceled for 2020" (Press release). Major League Soccer. 19 May 2020. Archived from the original on 29 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  119. ^ "Canadian Premier League postpones start of 2020 season". Sportsnet.ca. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  120. ^ Husted, Jeff (12 March 2020). "MAJOR ARENA SOCCER LEAGUE TO END REGULAR SEASON EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY". maslsoccer.com. Major Arena Soccer League. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  121. ^ "USL Championship Temporarily Suspends Play". uslchampionship.com. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 2 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  122. ^ "Nisa Announces Suspension of Season For 30 Days". www.nisaofficial.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  123. ^ "NISA Official Update". www.nisasoccer.com. Archived from the original on 9 May 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  124. ^ "NISA announces Spring season cancelled; aims for Summer tournament, Fall campaign". WTVC. 27 April 2020. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  125. ^ "Se suspende la Liga MX por coronavirus". elfinanciero.com.mx. 15 March 2020. Archived from the original on 21 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  126. ^ "Mexico's Liga MX cancels rest of soccer season". www.latimes.com. 22 May 2020. Archived from the original on 22 May 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  127. ^ "MLS is Back: All 26 Teams to Resume Season at ESPN Wide World of Sports Starting July 8". Major League Soccer. 10 June 2020. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  128. ^ Goff, Steven (8 August 2020). "MLS announces regular season will resume in home markets this month". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 10 September 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  129. ^ "MLS Announces Regular Season Schedule Through September" (Press release). Major League Soccer. 11 September 2020. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  130. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  131. ^ "Liga MX Apertura 2020: ¿Cuándo empieza el Guardianes?". www.goal.com. 24 July 2020. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  132. ^ Molinaro, John (29 July 2020). "CPL's 2020 regular season to kick off on Aug. 13 with 'The Island Games' in P.E.I." Canadian Premier League. Archived from the original on 31 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  133. ^ "La CONMEBOL Libertadores queda suspendida temporalmente". CONMEBOL.com. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 7 April 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  134. ^ "La Libertadores y la Sudamericana ya tienen fecha". CONMEBOL.com. 10 July 2020. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  135. ^ "The Latest: T-Wolves' Towns donating $100K to Mayo Clinic". AP NEWS. 15 March 2020. Archived from the original on 23 March 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  136. ^ Mataruna-Dos-Santos LJ, Albuquerque PdGRd, Vasconcellos GdA, Nascimento RMd, Cavalari NT, Range D, Guimarães-Mataruna AF, Ortiz-Silva B. An Analysis Safe Protocols Employed in Professional Male Soccer and the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the 2020 Brazilian Championship. Sustainability. 2021; 13(24):13585. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413585
  137. ^ a b "Premiership concluded, Auckland City champions". New Zealand Football. 18 March 2020. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  138. ^ a b "Chatham Cup a casualty as New Zealand Football cancel cup competitions in coronavirus crisis". Stuff. 23 April 2020. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  139. ^ "Auckland City FC withdraw from FIFA Club World Cup". FIFA.com. 15 January 2021. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  140. ^ "OFC competitions calendar rescheduled". OCEANIA FOOTBALL CONFEDERATION. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  141. ^ "FIFA statement". FIFA. 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 13 March 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  142. ^ "Update on upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers". AFC. 9 March 2020. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  143. ^ "Update on upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers in South America". FIFA.com. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  144. ^ Dunbar, Graham (19 September 2020). "Pandemic disrupting FIFA's World Cup, Club World Cup program". Associated Press News. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  145. ^ "Update on FIFA Club World Cup 2020 and women's youth tournaments". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 17 November 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  146. ^ "Auckland City FC withdraw from FIFA Club World Cup". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  147. ^ "Security preparations for FIFA Club World Cup complete". The Peninsula. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  148. ^ "Education City, Ahmad Bin Ali and Khalifa International to host FIFA Club World Cup matches". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 23 December 2020. Archived from the original on 23 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  149. ^ "Education City and Ahmad Bin Ali stadiums to host FIFA Club World Cup 2020". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  150. ^ "FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020: Match schedule" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 23 December 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  151. ^ "FIFA Council passes landmark reforms for female players and coaches, agrees further steps in COVID-19 response". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  152. ^ "Update on FIFA Club World Cup 2021". FIFA. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  153. ^ hermesauto (8 September 2021). "Asian Youth Games in China postponed to 2022 owing to virus; Japan drops 2021 Club World Cup". The Straits Times. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  154. ^ "FIFA Council endorses global summit to discuss the future of football". FIFA. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  155. ^ "OFC competitions calendar rescheduled". Oceania Football Confederation. 4 June 2021.
  156. ^ "Auckland City nominated for the FIFA Club World Cup 2021". Oceania Football Confederation. 3 August 2021.
  157. ^ "FIFA statement on OFC representative at the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2021". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 31 December 2021.
  158. ^ "Update on upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers". FIFA.com. 9 March 2020. Archived from the original on 13 March 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  159. ^ "OFC tournaments, workshops, training and courses postponed until 6 May". OFC. 9 March 2020. Archived from the original on 22 April 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  160. ^ "Statement on Total CHAN Cameroon 2020". CAF. 17 March 2020. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  161. ^ a b "AFC Executive Committee announces updates to 2020 competitions calendar". AFC. 10 September 2020.
  162. ^ Homewood, Brian (25 February 2020). "UEFA says monitoring coronavirus, not yet clear if any impact on Euro 2020". Associated Press. Rome. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  163. ^ MacInnes, Paul (3 March 2020). "Uefa's Ceferin warns against fixating on 'dark scenarios' over coronavirus threat". The Guardian. Amsterdam. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  164. ^ "UEFA calls meeting of European Football Stakeholders". UEFA. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  165. ^ "UEFA postpones EURO 2020 by 12 months". UEFA. 17 March 2020. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  166. ^ "Change of venues for some UEFA Euro 2020 matches announced". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  167. ^ "UEFA Women's EURO moved to July 2022". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 23 April 2020. Archived from the original on 10 May 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  168. ^ Panja, Tariq (17 March 2020). "Euro 2020 and Copa América Are Postponed for a Year". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  169. ^ a b "OFC Nations Cup 2020 cancelled". Oceania Football Confederation. 21 April 2020. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  170. ^ "Norway's UEFA Nations League fixture with Romania can not take place". UEFA. 15 November 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  171. ^ "Ukraine's UEFA Nations League fixture with Switzerland cannot take place". UEFA. 17 November 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  172. ^ Mergulhao, Marcus (24 January 2022). "Covid-hit India women's football team forced out of Asian Cup". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  173. ^ "Dedicated COVID-19 working group proposes recommendations after first meeting". FIFA.com. 3 April 2020. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  174. ^ "UC Discontinues Men's Soccer Program" (Press release). Cincinnati Bearcats. 14 April 2020. Archived from the original on 23 April 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  175. ^ "App State Athletics Announces Program Changes" (Press release). Appalachian State Mountaineers. 26 May 2020. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  176. ^ "A-10 Concludes First-Ever Virtual Spring Meetings; Modifies Schedules, Championship Formats". atlantic10.com. 14 May 2020. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  177. ^ "BIG EAST Announces Changes to 2020 Fall Sports Scheduling". 8 June 2020. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  178. ^ "Big South Statement on 2020–21 Efficiencies and Championships". BigSouthSports.com. 11 May 2020. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  179. ^ "Big West Cancels Fall Sports". Big West Conference. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  180. ^ "MAAC Council of Presidents Meeting Sets September 11 as First Date of Fall Competition". MAACSports.com. 29 June 2020. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  181. ^ Strack, Jordan (12 May 2020). "Major changes coming to Mid-American Conference". Toledo, OH: WTOL. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  182. ^ "SoCon announces cost containment measures for 2020–21". SoConSports.com. 14 May 2020. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  183. ^ "FEPAFUT da por finalizado el Torneo Apertura 2020 de la LPF". FEPAFUT.com. 17 March 2020. Archived from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  184. ^ 11 Deportivo FC declarado campeón de la Liga Pepsi Clausura 2020 por FESFUT Archived 4 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine sur laprimera.com.sv, 20 mars 2020.
  185. ^ "¡Urgente! La Liga Nacional canceló el Clausura 2020". Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  186. ^ "OFFICIEEL: Anderlecht is kampioen ... bij de vrouwen". Belgiumsoccer.be. Ludibundus bvba, Hosting-Garage.com, Techniek:Bart Vandenbussche, Design:Rita De Meyer. 27 March 2020. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  187. ^ Kunti, Samindra (9 April 2020). "Coronavirus: Mauritius is first African nation to abandon season". Inside World Football. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  188. ^ "VV FAČR ukončil amatérské soutěže, pohár se odkládá". fotbal.cz. 7 April 2020. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  189. ^ "Belize's semi-pro basketball and football leagues cancelled due to COVID-19". San Pedro Sun. 20 April 2020. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  190. ^ "League Committee sends its recommendations to the AIFF Executive Committee | Hero I-League". Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  191. ^ "Entscheidungen des ÖFB-Präsidiums zum weiteren Spielbetrieb" (in German). Austrian Football Association. 22 April 2020.
  192. ^ "Ajax denied title as Dutch Eredivisie season declared void, European places decided, no relegation". Sky Sports. 25 April 2020. Archived from the original on 27 April 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  193. ^ "KNVB beslist: Ajax nummer één, geen promotie/degradatie" [KNVB decides: Ajax number one, no promotion/relegation] (in Dutch). NOS. 24 April 2020. Archived from the original on 24 April 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  194. ^ "Coronavirus: Argentina's football season cancelled with relegation suspended for two years". Sky Sports. 27 April 2020. Archived from the original on 20 May 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  195. ^ "PSG champions as season ended". Ligue 1. 30 April 2020. Archived from the original on 1 May 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  196. ^ "La FFF – Championnats 2019–2020 : promus et relégués – FFF". www.fff.fr. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  197. ^ "Informations aux clubs de la FLF – crise du CORONA COVID-19 Décisions du Conseil d'Administration". Fédération Luxembourgeoise de Football. 28 April 2020. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  198. ^ "Sin campeón y sin descendido el torneo Clausura de la Liga Nacional". Diario La Tribuna (in Spanish). 29 April 2020. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  199. ^ Furaha, Jacques (30 April 2020). "Tuyisenge's Season Over As Angolan League Is Cancelled". KT Press. Archived from the original on 7 May 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  200. ^ "Domestic Football Season Terminated". Gibraltar Football Association. 1 May 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  201. ^ "Guinea ends top-flight league season early". SABC. Reuters. 1 May 2020. Archived from the original on 14 May 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  202. ^ "Gor Mahia named Kenyan champions but Angola season cancelled". Channel News Asia. 1 May 2020. Archived from the original on 12 May 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  203. ^ "Niger's league was canceled without a hero being announced because of the Coruna virus". Saudi 24 News. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020.[permanent dead link]
  204. ^ Covid-19 : le Championnat du Burkina Faso annulé Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine, sur L'Équipe, 5 mai 2020.
  205. ^ "Saison 2019– 2020 : La Fédération Congolaise de Football a rendu son verdict". fecofoot.cg. 16 May 2020. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  206. ^ "Coronavirus: Ethiopia cancels all football competitions". BBC Sports. 5 May 2020. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  207. ^ Wesley, T Kla Jr. (11 May 2020). "2019/2020 Football Season Nullified Due to Coronavirus Pandemic". The Bush Chicken. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  208. ^ "Comunicado de la RFEF en relación con las competiciones no profesionales del fútbol español" (in Spanish). RFEF. 6 May 2020. Archived from the original on 16 August 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  209. ^ "PWD Bamenda champions of Cameroon as season cancelled". Eurosport. Reuters. 13 May 2020. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  210. ^ "Coronavirus – football : Le TP Mazembe déclaré champion après l'arrêt de la saison". BBC (in French). 15 May 2020. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  211. ^ "Communicatie na de Algemene Vergadering". Jupiler Pro League. 15 May 2020. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  212. ^ "Δ.Σ. ΚΟΠ: Απόφαση για διακοπή του Πρωταθλήματος Cyta και του Κυπέλλου Coca – Cola". Κυπριακή Ομοσπονδία Ποδοσφαίρου. 15 May 2020. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  213. ^ "Jamaica's 2019/2020 football season cancelled, declared null and void". sportsmax.tv. 15 May 2020. Archived from the original on 26 May 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  214. ^ "FVF suspendió de forma definitiva torneos de primera y segunda división Temporada". Federación Venezolana de Fútbol (in Spanish). 15 May 2020. Archived from the original on 16 June 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  215. ^ "Communiqué Officiel – Décision du Comité Exécutif du 27 mai". Fédération Tahitienne de Football. 27 May 2020. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  216. ^ "BPL 2019–20 abandonned [sic]". Dhaka Tribune. 17 May 2020. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  217. ^ Camilleri, Valhmor (25 May 2020). "Floriana declared champions after MFA council vote". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  218. ^ "Celtic champions & Hearts relegated after SPFL ends season". BBC Sport. 18 May 2020. Archived from the original on 29 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  219. ^ "Connah's Quay Nomads crowned Welsh champions after season cancelled". Eurosport. Reuters. 19 May 2020. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  220. ^ Muyita, Joel (20 May 2020). "FUFA Women Super League cancelled". Kawowo Sports. Archived from the original on 2 June 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  221. ^ a b "Liga MX cancels 2020 Clausura due to COVID-19". ESPN.com. 22 May 2020. Archived from the original on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  222. ^ "Chelsea named Women's Super League champions, Liverpool relegated". BBC Sport. 5 June 2020. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  223. ^ Nabiswa, Collins (31 May 2020). "Togo cancels league, name champions". Futaa. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  224. ^ "رسميا.. إلغاء الموسم الكروي في لبنان". كووورة. 28 May 2020. Archived from the original on 1 August 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  225. ^ F.Z. (1 June 2020). "Zvanično! Sarajevo prvak BiH drugu godinu zaredom, Čelik i Zvijezda ispadaju" (in Bosnian). Klix.ba. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  226. ^ "League cancelled". Al-Maalomah. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  227. ^ "Вонредна седница на Управен одбор на Фудбалска федерација на Македонија: Прекин на натпреварувачката сезона 2019/2020". Фудбалска Федерација на Македонија. 4 June 2020. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  228. ^ "Women's Serie A ends early". Football Italia. 8 June 2020. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  229. ^ "Botswana ends season due to COVID-19". CAF. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  230. ^ "No Arabian Gulf League champion this season". Al Khaleej times. Archived from the original on 19 June 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  231. ^ "Benin cancels season due to COVID-19". CAF. 30 June 2020. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  232. ^ "Ghana annuls season due to COVID-19". CAF. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  233. ^ "2019-2020 Sezonu Kadın Ligleri Yönetim Kurulu Kararı" (in Turkish). Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  234. ^ "Senegal ends season due to COVID-19 pandemic". CAF. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  235. ^ "Nigeria ends season due to COVID-19". CAF. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  236. ^ "Sierra Leone calls off season due to COVID-19". CAF. Archived from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  237. ^ "Coronavirus: Algerian Ligue 1 season cancelled without relegation". Goal.com. 29 July 2020. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  238. ^ "'We have no coronavirus': Turkmenistan football season restarts with crowds – Times of India". The Times of India. 19 April 2020. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  239. ^ King, Tom (27 April 2020). "K-League to return on May 8". Sport Business. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  240. ^ "COVID-19 Føroyar – Hagtøl (Statistics)". The Faroese Ministry of Health. Archived from the original on 22 April 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  241. ^ "Re-Start ohne Freitagsspiel: Bundesliga geht erst am 16. Mai weiter" [Restart without Friday matches: Bundesliga continues on 16 May]. kicker (in German). 7 May 2020. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  242. ^ Calvo, Rodrigo (20 May 2020). "Y el fútbol tuvo que esperar: Grandes parones del torneo tico". Buzón de Rodrigo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  243. ^ Kangur, Kristjan Jaak (14 May 2020). "Ametlik kinnitus: Premium liiga võib uuel nädalal alustada (Esimesed mängud teisipäeval!)". soccernet.ee. Archived from the original on 20 May 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  244. ^ "Soccer-Hungarian federation says season to resume on May 23". Reuters. 5 May 2020. Archived from the original on 12 May 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  245. ^ a b "Wszyscy piłkarze Ekstraklasy zdrowi. Znamy terminarz pierwszych kolejek". ekstraklasa.org. Archived from the original on 10 May 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  246. ^ "Restart profesionálních soutěží schválen! Sezóna se znovu rozeběhne dohrávkou v Teplicích". fortunaliga.cz (in Czech). Fortuna Liga. 12 May 2020. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  247. ^ "Syrian Premier League to resume on May 29". AFC. 28 April 2020. Archived from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  248. ^ "3F Superliga satser på genstart ultimo maj med test af spillere". 3F Superliga (in Danish). 1 May 2020. Archived from the original on 1 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  249. ^ "FLYERALARM Frauen-Bundesliga geht am 29. Mai 2020 weiter". dfb.de (in German). 20 May 2020. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  250. ^ "Vyriausybė leido atnaujinti A lygos kovas" (in Lithuanian). Aukščiausia Lietuvos futbolo lyga. 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  251. ^ "ZAJEDNICA: VAŽNO OBAVEŠTENJE FUDBALSKOG SAVEZA SRBIJE". SuperLiga Srbije. 15 March 2020. Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  252. ^ The Favbet Liha is restarting on 30 May (Favbet Ліга відновиться 30 травня) Archived 30 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Ukrainian Premier League. 26 May 2020
  253. ^ "Israeli soccer to resume play on May 30, without fans". The Times of Israel. 6 May 2020. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  254. ^ "The Championship Montenegro will resume June 1". bestsport.news. 9 May 2020. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  255. ^ "Austria Bundesliga action set to resume on 2 June". as.com. 13 May 2020. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  256. ^ Erjon Halili (13 May 2020). "Zyrtare, Kategoria Superiore rinis në 3 qershor!". SuperSport (in Albanian). Archived from the original on 17 May 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  257. ^ SAPO. "Oficial: Já há programa para regresso do futebol. FC Porto joga dia 3, Benfica e Sporting no dia seguinte". SAPO Desporto (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  258. ^ "Красен Кралев издаде заповед за подновяване на футбола". faktor.bg. 14 May 2020. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  259. ^ "Slovenia's top football league to resume in June". News.ru. 20 May 2020. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  260. ^ "Vietnam football league postponed to April". vnexpress.net. 16 March 2020. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  261. ^ "Vietnam suspends domestic football after new COVID cases". besoccer.com. 26 July 2020. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  262. ^ "NASTAVAK NOGOMETNIH NATJECANJA 30. SVIBNJA". hns-cff.hr (in Croatian). 6 May 2020. Archived from the original on 26 May 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  263. ^ "Greek Football Resumes on June 6". greekreporter.com. 27 May 2020. Archived from the original on 17 September 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  264. ^ "LaLiga establece el horario oficial de partidos para el regreso del fútbol en España" (in Spanish). LaLiga. 31 May 2020. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  265. ^ "FRF a decis. Acesta este calendarul finalului de sezon și protocolul medical" [FRF has decided. This is the fixture calendar for the end of the season and the medical protocol] (in Romanian). Digi Sport. 5 June 2020. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  266. ^ "Süper Lig'de maçlar ertelendi!" (in Turkish). Hürriyet. 19 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  267. ^ "Soccer-Slovakia's top-tier league may resume on June 13". Reuters. 22 May 2020. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  268. ^ "Coronavirus: Sweden's Allsvenskan set for June 14 start". AS English. 17 April 2020. Archived from the original on 4 May 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  269. ^ "Helland om gladnyhet: – Jeg gleder meg til å bli sparket ned". 7 May 2020. Archived from the original on 14 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  270. ^ "Premier League returns on June 17". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 29 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  271. ^ "From Russia With Love: The Russian Premier League Returns". statsperform.com. 19 June 2020. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  272. ^ "FAI postpones all football activity with immediate effect | Football Association of Ireland". Fai.ie. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  273. ^ "2020 season fixture list set to be released on Monday July 13". SSE Airtricity League. 10 July 2020. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  274. ^ "Swiss Football League matches to resume mid-June". swissinfo.ch. 29 May 2020. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  275. ^ "Official: Coppa Italia June 13, Serie A 20". Football Italia. 28 May 2020. Archived from the original on 29 May 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  276. ^ "Iranian Premier League amid Corona crisis: Foolad F.C defeats Machine Sazi". iranpress.com. 30 June 2020. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  277. ^ "Veikkausliigan otteluohjelma on julkaistu" (in Finnish). 5 June 2020. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  278. ^ "OLIMPBET-Чемпионат Казахстана приостановлен". pflk.kz/ (in Russian). Kazakhstan Premier League. 3 July 2020. Archived from the original on 8 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  279. ^ Orlowitz, Dan (29 May 2020). "J. League first division to resume on July 4". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  280. ^ "MLS is Back: All 26 Teams to Resume Season at ESPN Wide World of Sports Starting July 8". MLSSoccer.com. 10 June 2020. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  281. ^ "FFA to postpone remaining matches in the Hyundai A-League season due to COVID-19". Football Australia. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  282. ^ "Nadeshiko League to finally kick off on 18 July". Japantimes.com. 5 June 2020. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  283. ^ "Paraguay resumes professional football despite controversy over coronavirus cases". time24story.com. 21 July 2020.[permanent dead link]
  284. ^ "Football action to resume on July 24". Qatar Football Association. 17 May 2020. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  285. ^ "2020中国平安中超联赛将于7月25日开赛". Chinese Football Association (in Chinese). 1 July 2020. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  286. ^ "Morocco's "Botola" resumes after 4-month COVID-19 break". cafonline.com. 28 July 2020. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  287. ^ "Tunisian 2019–20 Ligue 1 season could resume in August – FTF". Goal.com. 8 May 2020. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  288. ^ "Football activities to resume on August 4 in Saudi Arabia". AFC. 12 June 2020. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  289. ^ "Ahly and Zamalek win as Egyptian league returns to life". boxscorenews.com. 10 August 2020. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  290. ^ Davidson, Neil (14 May 2021). "Canadian Premier League plans to kick off season in late June, early July". CBC. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  291. ^ "PFF AND PFL STATEMENT – POSTPONEMENT OF PHILIPPINES FOOTBALL LEAGUE SEASON 2020". Philippines Football League. 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 20 May 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  292. ^ "PFL eyes 2021 opening in April with Copa Paulino Alcantara". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  293. ^ Rosal, Glendale (22 October 2021). "PFL to hold Copa Paulino Alcantara on Nov. 7 in Cavite". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  294. ^ "Copa Paulino Alcantara to usher in 2022 season". The Philippines Football League. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  295. ^ "Coronavirus: Ballon d'Or cancelled for first time in award's history". ESPN. 20 July 2020. ISSN 1097-1998. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  296. ^ Ferré, Pascal (20 July 2020). "Il n'y aura pas de Ballon d'Or France Football en 2020" [There will be no France Football Ballon d'Or in 2020]. France Football (in French). ISSN 0015-9557. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2024.