CSL summit tackles kickoff conundrum

Foreign-player rules a sticking point as clubs weigh up multiple options

With the COVID-19 epidemic now largely under control in China, the Chinese Football Association is endeavoring to hammer out a deal with clubs to start all three tiers of the postponed 2020 domestic season in late June or early July.

According to PP Sports, the CFA is awaiting approval for a start date after submitting plans to the General Administration of Sport of China, with the governing body hopeful that authorities will give the green light for either a June 20 or June 27 behind-closed-doors kickoff.

However, quite how the Chinese Super League might get underway is more problematic, with a meeting in Shanghai this week between the CFA and its member clubs attempting to finalize the details.

"We have been constantly refining the plans of starting the season and communicating with the clubs," said CFA president Chen Xuyuan last weekend. "We hope the season can return as soon as possible.

"We have two basic principles. The first is to meet the medical requirements of epidemic prevention measures. The second is to maintain the league's quality despite making big adjustments to the format. Games early in the season will be played without fans in attendance, and we intend to open the doors gradually."

The CSL's 2020 season was originally scheduled to start on Feb 22 before the COVID-19 outbreak forced the CFA to press the pause button. With only a half year to finish this campaign, changes to the league's format are inevitable.

Plans to split the 16-team CSL into two groups were discussed at Wednesday's meeting in Shanghai. That would involve two round-robin competitions before to determine the lineups for a knockout stage to decide the champion, AFC Champions League spots and the relegation places.

It was proposed that Group A include defending champion Guangzhou Evergrande, Jiangsu Suning, Shandong Luneng, Henan Jianye, Dalian Pro, Guangzhou R&F, Shanghai Shenhua, and possibly Shenzhen as a replacement for Tianjian Tianhai, which disbanded earlier this week due to financial difficulties. Group B would be comprised of Beijing Guo'an, Shanghai SIPG, Wuhan Zall, Tianjin Teda, Chongqing Dangdai, Hebei CFFC, Qingdao Huanghai and Shijiazhuang Ever Bright.

However, according to Beijing Youth Daily, not every club is a fan of this idea, with concerns raised that certain teams could jeopardize the integrity of the first-phase games by conserving their efforts against the bigger clubs in order to save themselves for an ensuing relegation battle in the knockout phase.

Therefore, some clubs reportedly suggested the usual home-and-away, round-robin format be used for the second phase, but with points carried over from the first phase.

According to PP Sports, the CFA could still yet start the new season with its usual format, but only if there is time to complete it this year-a plan which seemingly requires the earliest possible June kickoff to be approved.

Another major headache for the CFA and CSL clubs is how best to proceed without foreign players who have been unable to return to China in recent months due pandemic-related travel restrictions.

CFA president Chen last week said that about a third of foreign players and a number of foreign head coaches have still not returned.

Four plans are reportedly on the table in Shanghai with regard to this issue. Plan A has been devised for the possibility that more foreign players return before kickoff, and would see clubs allowed to register five foreign players each, with four permitted on the pitch during games at the same time.

Plan B requires teams to use only domestic players, if each opposing team has different numbers of foreign players available for selection.

The third proposal is to determine the number of foreign players who can play each game, based on the team with the least number of foreign players; the fourth plan is to allow only two foreign players to play each time.

Beijing Youth Daily reported that clubs were unable to reach an agreement on the foreign-player rules on Wednesday, with a final decision possible via a vote.

Despite the disharmony over this issue, the CFA appears determined to get the action going, with Chen telling media prior to the meeting: "The CFA will actively seek to restart the 2020 season once we meet the medical standards, instead of waiting for everyone (foreign players) to return."