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Jonathan White

The Taiwan Football Premier League (TFPL) kicks off on Sunday to become the fifth football top flight after Belarus, Burundi, Nicaragua and Tajikistan to play during the coronavirus pandemic.
The action will begin behind closed doors to ensure the safety of players and supporters but the good news for football fans is that it is being streamed around the world.
This season is the fourth of the eight-team TFPL since rebranding from the ashes of the old National First Division Football League.
After an intriguing off-season it promises to be the most exciting campaign yet – and you can watch it on the Chinese Taipei Football Association’s YouTube channel.


Last season Taipei-based Tatung made it three titles in a row but they were pushed by perennial bridesmaids Taipower once again and there were just three points between the champions and the Kaohsiung-based side on the final standings.
As the fixture gods would have it, last season’s top two go head to head on opening day.


The champions are going for their fourth title on the spin but the odds are against them after league MVP Marc Fenelus and Taiwan international defender Chen Wei-chuan switched to the ambitious Taiwan Steel.
The Tainan-side finished fourth last season – 19 points off the champions – but are steeling themselves for a title assault this time out.
Last season’s league top scorer Benchy Estama, who hit 25 goals for Hang Yuan and impressed in the AFC Cup, has joined, as has Taiwan’s No 1 Pan Wen-Chieh after the keeper missed out on a move to Hong Kong champions Tai Po.


Tatung will hope that retaining their other strikers will be enough to make up for Fenelus departing. Ivorian Angel Samuel Kouamé hit 20 last year, ably backed up by Turkey-born Taiwan international Omar Dogan with 14 goals.
Strikers have been busy in the off-season with the other big move being Hang Yuan’s loss of South Korean Joo Ik-Seong who scored 20 last season.
Joo has moved to last season’s fifth-placed finishers Taichung Futuro. The other shake-up is bringing former Taiwan coach Toshiaki Imai to Taichung, who has in turn signed seven Japanese players to the ranks.


Hang Yuen, who will be familiar to some from last year’s AFC Cup run-out when they became the first side from Taiwan to play the tournament and faced Hong Kong champions Tai Po, are set to struggle after losing their strike partnership.
They finished third last season but have not signed new strikers, instead strengthening their defence.
Taiwan’s top flight is rounded out by last year’s sixth-placed side TSU FC (linked to the University for Sport), Ming Chuan University (who finished seventh in 2019) and last year’s bottom side Red Lions FC.


The bad news for that trio is that this season sees the eighth-placed finisher automatically relegated to the new Challenge League, while seventh faces a play-off.
With intrigue at both ends of the table it promises to be a season to remember.
Fans find football fix in last four leagues standing – but for how long?
Opening round fixtures: Taichung Futuro vs TSU FC Hang Yuan FC vs Red Lions FC Tatung FC vs Taipower FC Ming Chuan University vs Taiwan Steel


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Taiwan Steel considered favourites to stop Tatung making it four titles in a row as CTFA stream games live on YouTube.


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