Women's football Olympic qualifiers rescheduled again amid Team China quarantine

SYDNEY - Football Federation Australia (FFA) confirmed on Wednesday that the Olympic women's football qualifying Group B matches have been rescheduled for a second time, as the Chinese team are being quarantined in Brisbane until February 5 amid concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.

According to the new schedule, the four matchdays of Group B, which features China, Australia, Chinese Taipei and Thailand, were set to be February 3, 6, 9 and 12. The FAA said that the final three matchdays will now all be postponed for one day following Chinese Taipei's 1-0 victory over Thailand on Monday.

When Team China's quarantine ends on Wednesday, the Steel Roses will play their first group match against Thailand on February 7, and then take on Chinese Taipei and Australia on February 10 and February 13 respectively.

FFA Chief Executive Officer James Johnson said that the delay would now be actioned after a period of positive negotiations and goodwill among all stakeholders including FIFA, the Asian Football Federation (AFC) and the Chinese Football Association (CFA).

"Over the past few days we have been engaged in positive and ultimately fruitful discussions with numerous organizations and clubs with interests in these qualifiers," Johnson explained.

"This outcome will ensure that there are three full days between matchdays three and four, guaranteeing that the health and safety of all participating players is put first, which is a priority for FFA," he added.

Group B matches were originally set to be held in Wuhan, the epicenter of the 2019-nCoV virus outbreak. The tournament was moved to Sydney on January 26 in a joint decision by the AFC and the CFA.

The 32 members of the Chinese team arrived in Brisbane last Wednesday and have been placed in a week-long isolation in their hotel by local authorities since their arrival, due to the fact they trained in Wuhan until January 22, before the epidemic worsened and the city was locked down.

According to the new schedule, the Chinese team will have one day's rest after flying from Brisbane to Sydney on Wednesday, hours after the quarantine ends.

The AFC women's football qualifiers for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo consist of two groups, with South Korea hosting Vietnam and Myanmar in Group A. The top two teams from each qualifying group will advance to a play-off round to determine which two Asian teams will join hosts Japan at the Games.

China's football governing body confirmed last Wednesday that four players including star striker Wang Shuang will have to miss the competition after being affected by the country's ongoing nationwide coronavirus control.