All K League players test negative for COVID-19 before season's opening

▲ This photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League on Feb. 26, 2021, shows Ulsan Hyundai FC midfielder Lee Chung-yong getting his temperature checked. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League on Feb. 26, 2021, shows Suwon Samsung Bluewings midfielder Yeom Ki-hun getting his temperature checked. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

football-coronavirus

All K League players test negative for COVID-19 before season's opening

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Yonhap) -- All members of the top two divisions in South Korean professional football have tested negative for the novel coronavirus, the league office said Friday.

The announcement from the Korea Professional Football League (K League) came on the eve of the opening kickoff for the 2021 season. The K League 1 season starts at 2 p.m. Saturday with a match between the four-time defending champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and FC Seoul. For the K League 2, Gyeongnam FC and FC Anyang will kick things off at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

All players, coaches, front office staff, match officials and league officials were tested over a seven-day period starting on Feb. 17. The K League said the number totaled 1,052 individuals, and they all tested negative.

Every two weeks starting in April, five players from each club will be tested. It will add up to 17 rounds of tests, the K League said, as it hopes to identify asymptomatic COVID-19 patients.

In a board of directors meeting held Wednesday, the K League decided the season could be suspended for at least two weeks if players or coaches test positive for COVID-19.

After any 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 teams will need to have played at least 22 matches for the season to count in the record books.

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.

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