'We will propose to UEFA the delay of the European Championship': Italian FA chief calls for Euro 2020 postponement

The Italian football federation says it will call for the UEFA European Championships to be postponed due to the ongoing disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

In a televised interview with SportMediasat, President of the Italian football federation Gabriele Gravina said, "We will propose to UEFA the delay of the European Championship.

"We will try to get to the end of this championship because it is fairer and more correct after the many investments and sacrifices of our clubs."

Gravina said he wants the footballing authorities to give more time for Europe's domestic leagues to complete their seasons and maintain the integrity of their respective competitions. As it stands, leagues are assessing their options in the event that they are unable to complete their full fixture list before the summer.

Serie A, along with most of the other major European football leagues, including the English Premier League, is currently suspended as the continent attempts to deal with the ongoing spread of the coronavirus.

And Gravina said that postponing the summer tournament, which is set to take place across 12 European countries, including Italy, from June 12 to July 12, would allow the European footballing world to return to normality before revisiting the European Championships once again.

Representatives of European leagues, clubs and players will take part in an emergency UEFA video conference call on Tuesday March 17, with the summer tournament expected to feature highly on the agenda.

Gravina stated that he hoped the Serie A season could resume and be completed by the end of June, but hinted that the season could be extended by a further month.

He also said that teams should ease off on training during the enforced break before the league picks up again once the crisis has averted.

"If the league were to resume at the beginning of May, I would leave the question of training for the moment," he said.

"Let's leave the boys at home, they have to recover physical and mental energy."