Football league to suspend play for 2 weeks in case of COVID-19 infections

▲ This image provided by the K League on Dec. 19, 2020, shows its emblem. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ Club representatives for the Korea Professional Football League (K League) attend a board of directors meeting at the Korea Football Association House in Seoul on Feb. 24, 2021, in this photo provided by the K League. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

football league-coronavirus

Football league to suspend play for 2 weeks in case of COVID-19 infections

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Feb. 25 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean football league announced Thursday it will suspend play for at least two weeks if players or coaches test positive for the novel coronavirus during the season.

After its board of directors meeting held Wednesday, the Korea Professional Football League (K League) also said teams in the top division K League 1 must have at least 17 healthy players, including one goalkeeper, in order to play matches. For those in the lower-tier K League 2, the minimum number of players required is 15, including one goalkeeper.

All members of the league will undergo COVID-19 tests before the 2021 season kicks off on Saturday. And every two weeks starting in April, five players from each club will be tested.

Should unforeseen events occur that disrupt play, the league office will reserve the right to adjust match fixtures as it sees fit.

Even in case of schedule changes, the 2021 season will finish no later than Dec. 19, the K League said.

The K League 1 is set to play 38 matches this year, and they'll need to have at least 22 matches in the books for the season to be valid.

If the league fails to reach that 22-match mark before the season comes to a halt, champions will not be crowned. Team and individual statistics, however, will still stand.

For the 36-match K League 2, the bar is 18 matches.

Also on Thursday, the K League decided to add an extra round of promotion-relegation playoff starting in 2022, in an effort to drive up fan interest in the final stretch. This means up to three teams from the lower division can be promoted, compared to a maximum two teams in the current setup.

Currently, the K League 2 champions are automatically promoted to the K League 1 the following season, while the last-place team from the 12-club K League 1 gets relegated. The K League 2 runner-up advances directly to the second playoff round, awaiting the winner of the first round between No. 3 and No. 4 seeds. The winner of that second round then goes on to meet the 11th-ranked team from the K League 1 in the promotion-relegation playoff, and the victorious side gets to play in the top league the following season.

In sum, aside from the league champions, three teams from the K League 2 have a shot at promotion.

Under the new setup, the K League 2 champions will still have an automatic promotion. And the K League 2 runner-up will face the 11th seed from the K League 1 in one promotion-relegation playoff series.

Then No. 4 and No. 5 seeds from the K League 2 will meet in the first playoff round, with the winner advancing to the next round against the No. 3 from the same league. The winning team from that stage will go on to play the No. 10 seed from the K League 1 in the second promotion-relegation playoff, with a spot in the top competition at stake.

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