Chinese Super League to start by July: club chair

Guangzhou Evergrande’s Paulinho (R) fights for the ball with Shanghai Shenhua’s Peng Xinli during their Chinese Super League (CSL) football match in Guangzhou in China’s southern Guangdong province on December 1, 2019. (Photo by STR / AFP) / China OUT

The coronavirus-delayed Chinese Super League (CSL) season is scheduled to begin in late June or early July, a club chairman says.

Suspended leagues across the world, including in Europe, will be watching the CSL with interest as an indicator of the challenges they face in relaunching their own competitions.

The campaign was supposed to start on February 22 but was indefinitely postponed by the pandemic, which emerged in China in December before spreading worldwide.

“Based on the assessment of the current situation, the new season will start at the end of June or beginning of July,” said Guangzhou R&F chairman Huang Shenghua, according to state media.

Huang said that the season will be able to take place in full with each team playing the alloted 30 matches.

The media reports did not indicate whether a formal announcement was expected from the Chinese Football Association.

China says that it has curbed coronavirus at home but is now concerned about a second wave of imported infections from people entering the country from overseas.

Marouane Fellaini, the former Manchester United midfielder, is the only known coronavirus case in the CSL.

He was released from hospital last week and is under further observation, although he was not seriously ill.