As a result of the coronavirus pandemic being well contained by many countries, and recently Italy, UEFA has allowed several teams to play their ties at home.
The coronavirus pandemic put football around the world to a halt, but has since been contained to the point where football has been resumed in some of the big leagues.
Ligue 1 and the Eredivisie ended their seasons prematurely, but the Premier League, LaLiga Santander and the Serie A are among the leagues that were resumed as long as several protocols were followed.
Fans have not been allowed into stadiums yet, although football has been played in all of Spain, Italy and the England, with cooling break intervals taking place in every game.
As the league campaigns near their end around the world, the Europa League and the Champions League are looming around the corner, and a lot of speculation has taken place about whether teams will be allowed to play their games at home, or whether they would be played in a neutral venue.
Thursday evening, UEFA released a statement saying that it will allow teams to play their remaining ties in the round of 16 in the respective teams’ home grounds, where domestic matches are being played, and ‘where travelling is possible without restrictions for the visiting clubs’.
As for teams where the first legs were postponed as a result of the pandemic, such as the Sevilla — Roma and the Inter — Getafe fixtures, the games will take place in a neutral venue in Germany, where the games will be one-legged ties, instead of a home and return fixture.
The two European tournaments are scheduled to take place in August, once the domestic seasons in Europe have been concluded.
