In the afternoon of June 19, Gusu became the first training point after the return of the national football team, marking the official opening of the preparations for the 12 strong match. At the same time, and the national football preparation closely linked to the Chinese Super League restart program has also been included in the Football Association, the operational alliance preparatory group and the recent work schedule of many parties. According to the latest communication progress, the first phase of the Super League this season, the remaining nine rounds of the tournament may be launched around July 17, and the latest end of August 24, including the fifth round of the two bye matches, in order to support the national football team to prepare for the 12th round of the tournament. As for the specific time and place of the remaining matches of the Chinese Super League, the choice of system and whether to reduce the distance, will be determined according to the results of the grouping of the national football team in the 12 rounds of the tournament and the preparation plan. What is certain is that the league that makes way for the national soccer team's preparation will not be able to play any rounds in September, October and November.
After a day's rest, the national soccer team started its first practice after returning to China at 4:30 p.m. on the 19th in Gusu. At the same time, the members of the Football Association's Preparation and Operation Group also began to cooperate with the national football team to prepare for the start of the new cycle of work. In the operation of the remaining matches of this season's Chinese Super League, it is crucial for the national soccer team to advance and maintain its competitive status. On the one hand, the progress of the national football team can not be separated from the support of the club, and after promotion, it is necessary to release the national footballers to participate in the league in time to protect the interests of the club and its investors; on the other hand, the national football team to make a difference in the 12 strong match, it is necessary for the national footballers to maintain a good state of mind, and therefore it is necessary to realize this goal through the league.
Affected by the epidemic, the national football team must strictly comply with domestic and international epidemic prevention regulations during the process of entering and exiting the country to participate in the Top 12 tournament. Due to the staggered home and away schedules of the team's Top 12 matches, those returning home must undergo the necessary medical isolation and observation, which not only poses a huge challenge to preparations, but also has a significant impact on the running of the Chinese Super League. The schedule shows that the first six rounds of matches will be played in September, October and November this year, so the Football Association, after communicating with the preparatory group of the operational league, the clubs and other parties, has basically determined that it will not organize the Chinese Super League during these three months.
However, according to the results of the current communication, the remaining nine rounds of the first phase of the Chinese Super League will be completed before the start of the 12-team tournament. It is reported that the national football team will undergo at least two weeks of collective isolation since arriving at the Gusu site late at night on June 17, followed by no less than seven days of autonomous isolation, which means that the international players will not be fully released from isolation until around July 8th. Subsequently, in addition to the necessary rest and recuperation, they will also need to participate in the club's preparations before the opening match. As a result, the operational league preparatory group has tentatively planned to postpone the restart of the league to July 17 or 18 from the original June 21 date.
It is reported that the remaining nine rounds of the first phase of the Chinese Super League is scheduled to end on August 16th. However, due to the Beijing Guoan vs Hebei and Henan Songshan Longmen vs Guangzhou matches were postponed due to a number of international players from Beijing and Guangzhou being called up for the preparation of the Top 40 match, these two matches will also need to be played at the end of this phase, and the make-up matches will likely be scheduled for the week after August 16th. Therefore, the first phase of the tournament will end on August 24 at the latest. Of course, taking into account that the first match of the national football team will be held on September 2, and need to challenge a strong team in the second gear away, the first phase of the tournament will end whether the time will be advanced, but also need to be further negotiation between the parties.
It is worth mentioning that due to the recent epidemic in Guangzhou, one of the two major host cities for the first phase of the Chinese Super League this season, there are concerns that Guangzhou may not be able to continue hosting Chinese Super League matches. However, up to now, the Football Association, the operational alliance preparatory group did not announce the specific arrangements for the change of the tournament. It is understood that if Guangzhou continues to host Chinese Super League matches, the remaining Chinese Super League matches in this stage will be closed to spectators in order to meet the needs of the epidemic prevention work.
As for how to run the subsequent stages of the Super League matches this season, the Football Association and the Operational Union will be flexible according to the epidemic and the preparation for the National Football League's 12-team tournament and the competition. Chen Xuyuan, chairman of the Football Association, has made it clear during the UAE supervising the national football matches that while the Association is concerned about the preparation of the national football team, it is also necessary to respect and safeguard the interests of the clubs and their investors, and in principle, to ensure the integrity of the Super League schedule, and the matches will be carried out across the year with a high probability.
