UEFA will put into consideration the concerns of National Team Managers’ about Euro 2024 Squad Size
UEFA announced on Thursday that they will address the concerns raised by national team managers regarding squad size for the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany.
The return to the pre-Covid-19 squad size of 23 players had been confirmed by UEFA, following the temporary increase to 26 for Euro 2020 and World Cup 2022. Several coaches have expressed their reservations about this decision.
“We have taken note of comments expressed by some national team coaches on the squad size for Euro 2024,” a UEFA spokesperson stated. “A workshop with the participating teams will be held on 8 April, during which UEFA will listen to the views of the coaches. Any suggestions regarding squad size will then be considered and evaluated.”
During the recent international break, England coach Gareth Southgate and Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman highlighted the issue.
“It is very strange not to choose from 26 players. It is absurd to return to 23,” Koeman remarked after his team’s 2-1 loss to Germany on Tuesday. “You have to deal more with injuries these days. It is about the players’ ability to handle workload.”
Southgate, on the other hand, plans to name an extended initial squad and remains hopeful for a reconsideration of UEFA’s decision.
“It’s inevitable we’re going to be naming a longer squad, which is what we did before the Euros here (in 2021) even though we were dealing with 26 then,” Southgate explained. “There is one more UEFA meeting where there’s been a little bit of talk amongst some of the coaches about possibly increasing that.”
The deadline for submitting squad lists to UEFA is June 7, with the tournament scheduled to commence on June 14. Meanwhile, other football confederations, such as the Asian Football Confederation and the African Cup of Nations, have recently adjusted their squad limits for their respective tournaments.
