Chinese Super League players all test negative for COVID-19 ahead of delayed season start

Players and officials from the 16 participating teams will be confined to their hotel and parts of the stadiums and tests will be conducted once a week during the tournament, it added.

All Chinese Super League (CSL) players have tested negative for COVID-19 as the season prepares to kick off on Saturday after a five-month delay from its scheduled start, state news agency Xinhua reported. A total of 1,870 individuals from the tournament’s two hubs - Suzhou near Shanghai and Dalian in the northeast of China - have undergone medical checks, with none of them testing positive for the disease, the report said.

Soccer Football - Chinese Super League - Shanghai SIPG Training - Shanghai, China - July 14, 2020. Shanghai SIPG players take part in a training following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. REUTERS/Aly Song REFILE - CORRECTING INFORMATION (REUTERS)

Players and officials from the 16 participating teams will be confined to their hotel and parts of the stadiums and tests will be conducted once a week during the tournament, it added. The CSL was originally scheduled to start on Feb. 22 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teams will play a round robin with the top four qualifying for an eight-team “championship” stage and the bottom four from each group going into a “relegation” phase.