UEFA, the governing body for football in Europe, has confirmed that it will hold a workshop with the participating teams on April 8th to discuss the concerns raised by national team coaches regarding the squad size for the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament in Germany. UEFA had previously confirmed that the squad size for the tournament would return to the pre-Covid-19 limit of 23 players after it had been increased to 26 for both Euro 2020 and World Cup 2022. However, coaches have voiced their concerns about the squad size limit and have requested that UEFA reconsider its decision.
A spokesperson for UEFA has said that the organization has taken note of the comments expressed by some national team coaches and will listen to their views during the workshop on April 8th. The spokesperson also added that any ideas put forward during the workshop will be considered and assessed by UEFA.
During the recent international window, coaches such as England’s Gareth Southgate and Netherlands’ Ronald Koeman have expressed their concerns about the squad size limit. Koeman, after his side’s 2-1 loss to Germany on Tuesday, called the decision to return to a 23-player limit “absurd” and said that it was “very strange not to choose from 26 players.” Southgate, on the other hand, has said that he will name an extended initial squad and is hopeful that UEFA will reverse its decision.
The deadline for the submission of squad lists to UEFA is June 7th, and the tournament is set to begin on June 14th. It remains to be seen whether UEFA will reconsider its decision and increase the squad size limit, as has been done by other football confederations such as the Asian Football Confederation and the African Cup of Nations.
