Restarting the home-and-away system faces multiple challenges
In the face of widespread concern from fans and the media, Guo Bingyan, head of competition preparation for the CFF, revealed that the league will continue to adopt the match system at this stage. Regarding the resumption of the home and away match system, Guo Bingyan clearly pointed out that "the first phase of the league will continue to adopt the match system, and will be dynamically adjusted according to the development of the epidemic in order to maximize the resumption of the home and away match system."
Guo Bingyan admitted that given the current situation, the difficulty of resuming the home-and-away system this year cannot be ignored.
According to the established plan, this year's Super League will usher in the third home-and-away season. The league is divided into four phases, with the number of matches in each phase being 10+8+8+8 in order, completing a total of 34 rounds of double round robin matches.
Regarding the league groupings, Guo Bingyan further explained, "Meizhou Hakka, as the hosts, have been placed in Group A1; while the league champions and runners-up, Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Seaport, occupy the top spots in the Haikou and Dalian divisions, respectively. The top two teams in each group are seeded, including Meizhou Hakka and the top five finishers in the 2021 league season, with the first three stages of the tournament remaining unchanged. Dalian People's Professional Club enters by replacement, replacing Chongqing Two Rivers Athletic, settling in fifth place in the Haikou Division, with the stages rotating according to the course of the competition."
