The president of Spanish club, Atletico Madrid, Enrique Cerezo has discussed UEFA handing his side the Champions League trophy following their success so far in the competition. The Rojiblancos knocked out the holders, Liverpool from the season’s competition at the round of 16 stage.
It is not clear how serious Cerezo’s comments were, with the competition currently suspended as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The reports come as UEFA is formulating a plan to finish with a World Cup-styled competition.
One possible solution is for a single host city to stage matches for the last eight onwards, with one-off fixtures replacing the traditional two-legged contests.
However, Cerezo reckons there may be a more direct and straightforward way to decide the champions of Europe’s Premier club competition.
“In the hypothetical case that the Champions League was not played for the coronavirus, then the champion [should be] the one who beat the champion,” Cerezo told Mundo Deportivo.
“There are still a few knockout games left, the quarter-finals, the semis and the final.
“We understand that UEFA tries to centralise all these matches in one city, there was talk of Spain, Portugal … nothing is known yet.
“There are 11 games left, plus the final phase of the Champions League, which can be four games. I imagine that the government is waiting to see how the pandemic evolves and will take the decision it considers,” he added.
Atletico, who have lost two Champions League finals, in 2014 and 2016, resume their LaLiga campaign at Athletic Bilbao behind closed doors on Sunday. While there has been no confirmation when the European Cup might be concluded, reports suggest that it could take place throughout August.
