Euro 2020 set to be postponed after UEFA cancels hotel bookings

The UEFA EURO 2020 logo on display with the European Championship trophy during the launch Action Images via Reuters / Tony O'Brien/File Photo Livepic [COURTESY]

The postponement of soccer’s Euro 2020 Championship may already have been decided after UEFA last week canceled its hotel bookings in Copenhagen, one of the host cities, Reuters learned from the hotels on Tuesday.

The CPH Hotel told Reuters over the phone that UEFA had booked 80 of its 102 rooms but canceled them a little over a week ago. The Marienlyst Strandhotel, where the Danish team usually bases itself, told Reuters in an email that UEFA had canceled the rooms booked on behalf of the Danish side.

UEFA is meeting with its member federations on Tuesday, where a postponement of Euro2020 to 2021 is expected to be announced following the widespread suspension of Europe’s domestic leagues due to the coronavirus.

The tournament was due to be held across 12 nations in June and July, with the semi-finals and final in London. Copenhagen was due to host three group games, all involving Denmark, and one knockout match in the round of 16.

The Marienlyst Strandhotel in Helsingor has been the base of the Danish team for many years and is situated on the sound between Denmark and Sweden, some 47km north of Copenhagen.

Helsingor - or Elsinore as it is sometimes called in English - is the scene of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The sleepy village has become the place that the Danish team goes to avoid distractions, with a training pitch a short walk away.