UEFA have confirmed that all Champions League and Europa League fixtures scheduled for next week have been postponed.
The decision was announced on Friday morning in the wake of the growing spread of the coronavirus, which continues to move across Europe having been declared a global pandemic.
It was not expected that any such decision would be taken until next week, with European football’s governing body saying on Thursday that a video conference would be held on Tuesday (17 March) to discuss the next steps.
However, there is now confirmation that all UEFA matches next week will now no longer be taking place – including crucial matches for both Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The Blaugrana had been due to host Napoli in the second leg of their Champions League tie on Tuesday while Madrid were set to travel to English champions Manchester City the following night.
Sevilla and Getafe were also set to be involved in football next week, although their Europa League ties against Roma and Inter respectively would not have taken place in any case due to the travel restrictions between Spain and Italy.
