Zurich, March 19 FIFA has decided to delay the inaugural edition of the revamped Club World Cup, which was scheduled to be played next year, in order to organise the Euro 2020 Championship and the Copa America, which now stands postponed to June/July, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement released after the conference call of the Bureau of the FIFA Council, which took place on Wednesday, the sport's governing body said it has unanimously agreed "to include the new dates of the CONMEBOL Copa America and the UEFA EURO (June 11 to July 11, 2021) in the international match calendar and decide at a later stage when to schedule the new FIFA Club World Cup which was due to take place in June/July 2021."
It has also been decided to create FIFA-confederations working group to monitor the evolving situation of the coronavirus outbreak.
"This exceptional situation requires exceptional measures and decisions. This crisis impacts the entire world and that is why solutions need to be taken into account in the interests of all stakeholders around the world," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.
The 2021 Club World Cup is a brand new tournament, which will be held every four years featuring 24 teams, replacing the seven-team annual event.
Earlier, Infantino had also suggested donating $10 million to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and discussing the possibility of establishing a Global Football Assistance Fund to "help members of the football community affected by this crisis".
Close to 9,000 people have lost their lives across the world due to the deadly disease.
( With inputs from IANS )