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UEFA defends decision to award event to Belarus after FIFPro criticism Sunday, 9 May 2021
UEFA has defended its decision to award one of its events to Belarus amid criticism from the global players union.
European football s governing body has bucked the recent trend of moving major sports events out of the country amid the Government crackdown on protestors, including athletes, who have demonstrated against controversial President Alexander Lukashenko.
UEFA recently announced Belarus would stage the Women’s Under-19 European Championship in 2025 after it missed out on hosting the same event this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Belarus had also been set to hold the Futsal Champions League Finals before UEFA moved the event from Minsk to Zadar in Croatia after citing coronavirus concerns.
2020/21 Women’s and Men’s Under-19 Championships
The UEFA Executive Committee today decided to cancel the 2021 UEFA Women’s and Men’s Under-19 Championships due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects on the staging of competitions.
In making these decisions, the UEFA Executive Committee took note that, with the government restrictions currently in place, the travelling of teams and staging of mini-tournaments would prove very difficult.
The UEFA member associations were consulted and supported the decision. Although it is unfortunate that no youth competitions can take place in the current season, the health and safety of young athletes must be prioritized in the current circumstances.