After two years of the "match system", whether this year's national professional league can return to the home and away mode has become the focus of the industry's hot debate. In late February, the CFA issued a consultation letter to its professional clubs and member associations on the resumption of home and away matches in the 2022 season to solicit opinions from all parties. Currently, the feedback from all parties has been submitted to the CFA. In the face of the restoration of home and away matches this season, the relevant personage of the Football Association revealed both cautious and optimistic views in an interview with Sohu Sports: "The challenge is huge, but there is still a glimmer of hope. As long as we work together, the prospect is still promising."
Football Association actively promotes home and away system
The FA has summarized and collated the views of the clubs to determine the subsequent work plan. Most clubs have expressed their willingness to actively cooperate, expecting that the home and away match system will be resumed as soon as possible to ensure the stable and healthy operation of the league. Some clubs are concerned that they will not be able to meet the requirements of the anti-epidemic department, and some individual clubs are worried that the increase in venue rental and travel expenses will add to their operational burden.
In any case, the restoration of the home-and-away system has been regarded by the Football Association as one of the top priorities in the preparations for this year's league, and is being pushed forward with full force. The Chinese Super League is expected to complete 34 rounds of matches this year. The FA plans to try to partially resume home and away matches during the better epidemic prevention period, even if the home and away matches cannot be fully resumed. "After all, two consecutive years of the tournament system, if it continues, the survival of the clubs will face big problems. In the context of the normalization of epidemic prevention and control, professional sports events will eventually have to explore an optimal model for coexistence."
Experts have pointed out that compared with indoor activities such as movies, plays and concerts, soccer matches are outdoor activities with open venues and good air circulation, so as long as proper precautionary measures are taken, the risk of virus transmission can be minimized. In the previous two seasons, fans were allowed to attend matches in Suzhou and Guangzhou, and the number of attendees at some important matches even exceeded 20,000 to 30,000, but due to proper preventive and control measures, "zero infection" was realized. It can be said that through the practice of these two years, we have accumulated valuable experience in the prevention and control of epidemic in tournaments.
Borrowing from the Chinese League model, eliminating away fans from attending matches
The new season of the Chinese Super League is expected to start on April 23 and end on November 13, lasting seven months. The Football Association has formulated a number of plans to promote the re-launch of the home-and-away system. At present, it seems that the most likely program is to refer to last season's model of the Chinese League, the 34 rounds of the league will be divided into four segments, each segment 10 + 8 + 8 + 8, 18 Chinese Super League teams will be divided into three groups, the first home and away double round-robin tournaments within the group, and then rotate in turn, to ensure the completion of the 34 rounds of the tournament.
The advantage of this approach is its flexibility, which allows for a home-and-away system when the epidemiological situation is favorable and a temporary return to the conference system when the situation is tense. Also, with only six teams in each group, there would be less pressure on the organizers to return to the conference system. The disadvantage is that compared to the traditional home-and-away system, there may be an imbalance between the strongest and weakest teams. However, considering the epidemic prevention factor, this is an almost ideal solution.
To cope with the epidemic prevention and control, the Football Association has also prepared specific measures, such as the establishment of an alternate home stadium in case of emergency. Initial home attendance may be controlled at a lower level of 3-5%, and segregation zones may be set up between seats.
It is reported that this year's Chinese Super League will not set up visiting fans viewing area, in principle, do not receive visiting fans watching the game, in order to reduce the flow of people. Previously, the AFC Cup final, Chengdu had put forward "into the field fans can not leave Chengdu within 14 days" requirements, a similar program will be introduced into the new season of the Chinese Super League, is still being further explored.
Preparations for the main stage of the Henan tournament started in full swing
In order to restore the home and away system, some clubs have been actively action. on March 2, Henan match preparation coordination meeting was successfully held in Zhengzhou Navigation Stadium, Henan Provincial Football Association, Songshan Longmen Club and other relevant departments attended. Fan Ronghui, secretary-general of Henan Provincial Football Association, listened to the report on the preparatory work of Songshan Longmen Club at the coordination meeting, and said that we should make every effort to do a good job in the preparatory work for the new season's home stadiums, and prepare a number of sets of contingency plans in a timely manner in accordance with the requirements of the Football Association.
After the meeting, the leaders of each department inspected the Navigation Stadium and Zhongmou Football Training Base together and discussed the specific work details on the spot. The official of Henan Songshan Longmen Club also said, "We will actively cooperate with Henan Provincial Football Association and make every effort to meet the specific requirements of the Association regarding the restoration of the home and away system as stipulated in the match management and emergency measures."
