Coronavirus: China plan to use Thailand venue as neutral ground for World Cup qualifiers
- China to play Maldives in March followed by visit to Guam in 2022 qualification campaign
- Mainlanders now plan to play both matches in Buriram United’s stadium in northeast Thailand
Coronavirus-hit China plan to use Thailand as a neutral ground when they play Maldives in group A of the 2022 World Cup Asian zone qualifiers in March.
Reports from the mainland said the proposal had been accepted by the Thai football authority on condition that the match be played behind closed doors, and approval by regional governing body the Asian Football Confederation is now awaited.
China want to use the home ground of Thai League 1 side Buriram United, the 32,000-seat Chang Stadium, for the match scheduled for March 26. The venue is about 410km northeast of Bangkok.
With the spread of the novel coronavirus in the nation, the Chinese Football Association reckoned it would be difficult for any overseas team to come to China for competition and has considered a number of overseas options, including the United Arab Emirates, as a neutral ground for the World Cup campaign.
The Chinese authorities also plan to invite Guam to the Thai venue for the following qualifying match to be held five days later. Guam are playing at home for the match, but as the US suspended Chinese citizens’ entry in late January because of the outbreak of coronavirus, Chinese players and officials may find it difficult to get into Guam, which is a US territory.