By Samindra Kunti
January 15 – European governing body UEFA has been caught in a storm over Euro 2020 ticketing. In the new terms and conditions, ticket holders have only until January 26 to cancel tickets for the continental finals which were postponed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The European confederation has written to fans with match tickets requiring them to agree to the new terms, giving them just 12 days to apply for a refund. If they fail do to so by January 26, they will face losing their money should fixtures be moved as UEFA might not be able to stage the tournament in its original 12-city format.
UEFA’s new ticket refund policy states: “In the event of the postponement of the match before kick-off for a reason of Force Majeure, the ticket will be valid for the rearranged playing of the match. The applicant will not be entitled to a refund of the tickets if they are unable to attend the rearranged playing of the match.”
Force majeure includes a match being moved because of the coronavirus pandemic. At present the host cities are Glasgow, Dublin, Bilbao, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Munich, Rome, St Petersburg, Bucharest, Budapest and Baku and London. The English capital is due to stage both semi-finals and the final.
The new terms and conditions leave fans with a dilemma: do they cancel their tickets and get a refund or take the risk that their match(es) won’t be moved to a different venue?
But with the coronavirus pandemic still raging across Europe, it remains unclear if UEFA will be able to proceed with staging the finals in a pan-European format and whether fans would be allowed entry to stadia. The governing body is reportedly considering various scenarios, but a decision on the format and whether fans will be allowed at stadiums won’t be taken before March.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1734900477labto1734900477ofdlr1734900477owedi1734900477sni@o1734900477fni1734900477