Swiss Cup champion will be denied Europa League spot

BERN, Switzerland (AP) — The winner of the Swiss Cup will be denied a traditional entry into the Europa League because of an overcrowded schedule caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the country’s soccer association said Friday.

The Swiss Cup, which was stopped at the quarterfinal stage, will not resume until after the Aug. 3 entry deadline set by UEFA for next season’s Champions League and Europa League.

The Swiss soccer association said UEFA refused several requests to extend the deadline.

The winner of the competition was due to enter the third qualifying round of the Europa League, where UEFA pays each team 280,000 euros ($315,000) in prize money. That place will now go to the third-place team in the Swiss league, which had been due to join the first qualifying round.

The beneficiary is the fourth-place team — currently Geneva-based Servette — which will start in the first qualifying round on Aug. 27.

Completing the Swiss Cup in August could be complicated. Basel has reached the semifinals and is still involved in this season’s Europa League, which resumes on Aug. 5 and will be completed as a mini-tournament in Germany through Aug. 21.