Sports Desk
BEIJING: Making sure zero infections of the coronavirus is the paramount issue for the postponed 2020 season of the Chinese Super League (CSL), and a detailed precaution guideline is in place for the CSL restart, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) said.
The new season of the CSL, which had been scheduled to kick off on February 22, was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak and will begin on July 25.
The 16 teams have been split into two groups in two locations, one in Dalian and one in Suzhou. Each group of eight sides will be based at the same hotel to play the first phase of the season behind closed doors from July 25 to September 28. The teams are expected arrive at the two host cities on Sunday.
“The precaution guideline is targeted not only at the players and referees, but all working staff including those who work in the hotels and press as well,” Qi Jun, a CFA official who oversees the league’s COVID-19 prevention and containment work, told Xinhua on Friday.
According to the guideline, the players and referees will be confined to the “Blue Area” which includes only hotels and parts of the stadiums, and are allowed to leave this area just for matches and training.
In addition, team members should have already received two COVID-19 tests and one anti-body test before departure. They will undergo another test upon arrival at Dailian or Suzhou. All players will be tested once a week during the tournament. All working staff and press will also be subjected to relative testing requirements. Qi said that the CFA has included the epidemic prevention regulations into the league’s disciplinary book. Any player who violates any of these regulations will be punished heavily. “It will not be just a fine or match suspension. If you break the rules, you might have to leave the blue-designated area, which means you can’t play for the remainder of the season,” he said. Qi acknowledged that long-time isolation is not good news for players, so various recreational facilities like Spa, karaoke, play stations and VR game machines will be provided at the hotels.
“We are not saying that you will definitely come into contact with the virus if you go out, but the guideline is aimed to lower the risks as much as possible,” said Qi.
