Chinese Super League football season to begin July 25

The Chinese Super League season will begin on July 25 after the coronavirus pandemic delayed it by five months, the country's football association said on Wednesday.

The 16-team competition, which had been originally due to kick off in February, will be split into two groups, one in the northeastern city of Dalian and the other in Suzhou, near Shanghai, the China Football Association (CFA) said.

It is a major boost for sport in China and another sign of life returning to normality in the country where COVID-19 emerged late last year before spreading globally.

The CFA said the league would "strictly abide by the requirements of national epidemic prevention work".

The CSL, which has drawn international interest in recent years by luring big-name players and coaches on world-leading wages, had been scheduled to start on February 22.

However, it became one of the first sporting victims of the coronavirus in January when the new season was indefinitely postponed.