ECA: UEFA returning 575 million euros to broadcasters due to Covid-19

European football faces further financial setbacks amid the coronavirus pandemic as the governing body UEFA is returning more than half-a-billion euros (dollars) to broadcasters.

European Club Association (ECA) chairman Andrea Agnelli said on Tuesday that UEFA is repaying 575 million euros (680 million dollars) because of the months-long suspension and the ensuing completion, with fewer matches than originally scheduled in the Champions League and Europa League.

Agnelli told a virtual ECA assembly: "That is all money that is not going to be distributed."

Under the original deal, UEFA would have earned 3.25 billion euros in the past season, with 2.55 billion euros to be distributed among the participating clubs in both competitions.

It was not clear whether the full 575 million euros would be withheld from the clubs or whether UEFA would also suffer losses.

The Champions League and Europa League were suspended in March and then completed in mini-tournaments in August - with two Europa League last-16 ties, all quarter-finals and all semi-finals played in one match instead of two.

Agnelli, the president of Italian champions Juventus, reiterated that European clubs would lose some 4 billion euros in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons because of the pandemic.

Games behind closed doors have hit ticket sales income and Agnelli said he also expects less money from sponsorships and the transfer market, calling the upcoming season "very, very challenging both on and off the pitch."

He also suggested that talks about Champions League reform for the new cycle from 2024 be postponed until 2021.

UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin had said recently he could envision finals tournaments for the club competitions, as happened this year in Portugal and western Germany for the Champions League and Europa League respectively.