UEFA have distanced themselves from claims they could remove Glasgow as a host city for Euro 2020 as a result of Rangers fans celebrating the club’s title win – reiterating their commitment to hosting games in all 12 cities originally selected.
Scottish Government Justice Minister and Celtic fan Humza Yousaf had claimed that the continent’s football powerbrokers “were watching,” with the sentiments echoed by National Clinical Director Jason Leitch, after Rangers fans celebrated the club’s first title in a decade with jubilant scenes across Glasgow.
When approached for comment by RangersNews, UEFA pointed to the statement made by President Aleksander Čeferin in January while refusing to give any credence to the claims made by Yousaf and Leitch.
“UEFA is committed to holding EURO 2020 in the 12 cities originally planned. The EURO is the flagship competition for national team football in Europe and is a vital source of funding for grassroots and wider football development,” Čeferin said.
“I am optimistic that things are highly likely to be very different with regard to the virus as we move closer to the tournament and it is important that we give the host cities and governments as much time as we can to formulate an accurate picture of what will be possible come June and July.
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“Fans are such a big part of what makes football special and that is true of the EURO as much as it is of any game. We must allow ourselves the maximum space to allow their return to the stadiums.”
With UEFA seemingly desperate for fans to be in attendance – and earlier reports suggesting Glasgow, Dublin and Bilbao could be removed as hosts due to a possible continuation of the fan lockout – the idea fans celebrating a title win could result in losing hosting rights is nothing more than fanciful thinking from some.
The only people that UEFA are watching are the governments of the respective host cities – not the fans of clubs who happen to play in them, regardless what might be claimed on Twitter.
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