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 could kick off next month without some leading foreign stars, including Paulinho and Marko Arnautovic.
As of late March, China had indefinitely barred overseas visitors, even those with valid visas or work permits, in an effort to stem imported cases of the virus.
Chen Xuyuan stated, "This is truly a dilemma because as we know, one third of the foreign players and even some coaches haven't come back yet," in an interview with state broadcaster CCTV.
He added, "Frankly speaking we will take this into consideration when starting games but we won't wait for them all to get back before we kick off or else it will be unfair to other clubs."
Guangzhou Evergrande, the defending champions, and Beijing Guoan, the runners-up, would be among the clubs badly impacted if foreigners are not allowed into the country by the time the CSL gets under way.
