Football administrators agree to postpone matches nationwide
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) will suspend all matches nationwide due to the escalating Sars outbreak, state media reported yesterday.
The association's vice-chairmen, Nan Yong and Zhang Jilong, were quoted as saying by the Chongqing Evening Post that the association would postpone all matches of the FA Cup, the Women's Super League and its youth training leagues. The Beijing Youth Daily yesterday reported that the first division match of the Chinese National Football League's Group A, due to take place on May 4, would be postponed to late June, while the Women's Super League, originally planned for May 18, would also be put back to June.
However, association spokesman Dong Hua refused to confirm these reports yesterday, noting the association had not yet officially announced any decision.
'Whether we postpone the matches or not will depend on developments in the [Sars] situation,' said Mr Dong. 'We will make a formal announcement as soon as we have any news to release.'
The Beijing Evening Post reported last night that the State General Administration of Sports had decided to postpone all national sporting events scheduled for next month.
The administration's official Web site did not mention specific events or a timetable, but said deputy head Li Furong had ordered all regional branches to 'make changes' to scheduled events during an urgent meeting with officials on Tuesday.
The Web site quoted Mr Li as saying that officials must take responsibility and control of the situation to 'guarantee the safety of athletes through effective measures'.
The Chongqing Evening Post said the Chinese Football Association originally wanted to hold the matches as scheduled, but eventually deferred to the State General Administration of Sports' advice to postpone them for a month.
The Sars outbreak had already disrupted the schedules of China's top football teams. Citing health risks, the Zurich-based Federation Internationale de Football Association postponed the draw for the women's World Cup, scheduled to be held in Wuhan on May 24.
The second leg of the Asian Football Confederation's Champions League semifinal - between China's Dalian Shide and Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates - was scheduled to be held in Dalian yesterday but has also been postponed. The CFA expressed its disappointment over the postponement of two Olympic qualifier matches scheduled for May 3 and June 7, but added that Sars had been 'controlled effectively' and that China was still a safe place to play matches.
