Football Focus: Budapest to host Europa League final; Swiss league put on hold

News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.

Budapest has been chosen to stage the Europa League final in the 2021/22 season at the Puskas Arena, European soccer body UEFA said on Monday.

It is the first time the Hungarian capital will stage a single-leg final of a men’s European club competition.

UEFA’s executive committee also chose the Juventus stadium in Turin, Italy, to host the women’s Champions League final in 2022 and the PSV Stadium in Eindhoven, Netherlands, in 2023.

Helsinki will host the annual men’s Super Cup match — between the Champions League and Europe League winners — in 2022 and Kazan, Russia, in 2023, UEFA said.

Swiss league put on hold after clubs reject closed doors option

The Swiss soccer league (SFL) has been put on hold until at least March 23 because of the coronavirus outbreak after the clubs rejected the possibility of playing matches behind closed doors.

Switzerland, which has had at least two dozen confirmed cases, introduced a ban on Friday on events expected to draw 1,000 people or more until March 15 in an effort to combat the coronavirus.

In response, the Swiss League called off all matches in the top two divisions and Saturday and Sunday and it has now extended the ban to the international break at the end of March.

“The option of holding the matches without spectators was also discussed,” said the SFL in a statement. “The clubs decided against this step for economic reasons and because there are currently still enough alternative dates available.”

The Swiss league has two divisions of 10 teams each with an average attendance of just over 11,000 in the top flight.