Ireland boss Vera Pauw welcomes confirmation of Euro 2021 deferral

Ireland boss Vera Pauw has welcomed today’s clarity over the deferral of the women’s European Championships.

UEFA have confirmed that the Euros will be played in 2022 instead of 2021.

The decision was made in order to accommodate the men’s Euro 2020 finals in 2021, which were postponed for a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Girls in Green remain unbeaten in their qualifying group but their match this month against Germany and Ukraine in June were postponed.

“"It’s great to have clarity so that we can plan accordingly,” said Pauw today.

“But football has not been the priority for us of late with the world still battling against the Coronavirus .

“Our thoughts are with those we have lost, those who are fighting, and those who are aiding the fight.”

Pauw continued: “There are still three group games to play and we remain in a good position to qualify. There’s a lot of hard work ahead.

"We understand and accept UEFA's decision to move the championships to July 2022.”

The nine group winners and the three best runners-up qualify directly for the finals, with the remaining six runners-up contesting the playoff.