This archive report was first published on 8 May 2020.
China's football president, Chen Xuyuan, has warned that the coronavirus-delayed Chinese Super League may kick off in late June without some of its leading foreign stars, including Paulinho and Marko Arnautovic.
As of May 8, 2020, the CSL had been indefinitely postponed since January, when it became one of the first sporting victims of the pandemic. The league's start date was initially set for February 22.
Chen stated that the league will likely begin with numerous foreign coaches and players missing, due to temporary restrictions on entering the country. He emphasized that the league will not wait for all foreign players to return before kicking off, as this would be unfair to other clubs.
China had indefinitely barred overseas visitors, including those with valid visas or work permits, in an effort to stem imported cases of the coronavirus. This move has impacted several clubs, including defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande and runners-up Beijing Guoan.
Guangzhou Evergrande, coached by Italian World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro, has been affected by the absence of Brazilian players Paulinho and Anderson Talisca. Beijing Guoan, on the other hand, is without their French coach Bruno Genesio, Brazilian international Renato Augusto, and striker Cedric Bakambu.
Once it is deemed safe to start, matches will be played behind closed doors initially, with fans returning to stadiums in phases. The CSL format may also be tweaked to squeeze games into a shorter timeframe.
