UEFA Euro 2020 postponed for next year

Liam Watson19/03/2020 6:00 am18/03/2020

UEFA Euro 2020 has been postponed to their summer of 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

European soccer’s governing body revealed that the national team competition will now take place next year from 11th June until 11th July 2021.

The decision comes in relation to allowing Europe’s domestic leagues more time to complete their current seasons, the majority of which have now been put on hold due to the spread of coronavirus.

The Financial Times had earlier reported that UEFA hopes postponing Euro 2020 would give national leagues the opportunity to resume fixtures in the summer – where space has been vacated.

Last week, UEFA called emergency video conference meetings for 17th March to discuss the future of both Euro 2020 and this season’s Champions League and Europa League club competitions.

Representatives from UEFA’s 55 member associations have been involved in the meetings, along with the boards of the European Club Association (ECA) and the European Leagues. Discussions also involved a spokesperson from FIFPro, the international representative body for professional soccer players.

Most of European soccer’s top leagues have taken action and suspended their competition in response to the spread of coronavirus, although there are still a small number going ahead either behind closed doors or in front of a limited number of spectators.

On Friday, England’s Premier League and Germany’s Bundesliga become the last of Europe’s ‘big five’ domestic competitions to postpone their fixtures, following similar decisions already taken by Serie A in Italy, Ligue 1 in France and La Liga in Spain.

Euro 2020 had been scheduled to begin in Rome on 12th June and be held across 12 European cities, with the final taking place in London on 12th July.

The new dates mean it will likely clash with global governing body Fifa’s inaugural 24-team Club World Cup, which is currently slated to take place in China from 17th June until 4th July 2021.

UEFA’s Women’s European Championship is also scheduled for the summer of 2021 – starting four days before the new proposed end of the men’s competition. It remains to be seen how the governing body would adjust its calendar to fit in that tournament alongside the men’s event.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

Patrick Irving16/04/2026 8:55 am16/04/2026

Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

Patrick Irving15/04/2026 6:05 am14/04/2026

Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.