The Hong Kong Football Association has obtained a Fifa exemption to allow newly signed players to appear in the remaining games of the season, alleviating fears that some clubs may not be able to assemble a team. “We are glad the exemption has been granted as we are facing an unprecedented situation that has turned the football world upside down,” HKFA chairman Pui Kwan-kay said after a special board meeting on Wednesday. “Our Premier League has been suspended since March and will not resume until August. “Many clubs want to alleviate their burden by releasing players if they are not going to take part in the remaining games of the season, while some other clubs may sign new players. Fifa fully understands our situation and allows us to extend the ‘out-of-contract player’ rule to August so these players will be eligible to play for their new clubs in the remaining season.” In April, the association informed clubs that newly signed players over the summer can play immediately for their new clubs and some therefore started changing their squad to prepare for the rest of the season, which tentatively returns on August 22. However, a document released by Fifa two weeks ago entitled “Covid-19 Football Regulatory Issues” stated players transferred during this period will not be allowed to play until the 2020-21 season. Some clubs such as Southern released some players and signed new players on the assumption that they could play immediately, but if they had to follow Fifa’s rule they would not have sufficient players for the rest of the season. HKFA general secretary Vincent Yuen Mun-chuen said these newly signed players can now play for their new clubs, provided they are already “out of contract”. This is the case for most Hong Kong players, whose contracts are due to expire in June at the latest. Only six out of the 10 HKPL clubs will finish the season, with Pegasus, BC Rangers, Yuen Long and Tai Po pulling out. The two district clubs have also withdrawn from the Premier League for the 2020-21 season because of financial difficulties. Guangzhou-based R&F ask clubs to cancel Hong Kong season Yuen also said the board had accepted Resources Capital, leaders of the First Division before the suspension in January, for promotion to the top flight next season, which means there will be nine teams. He refused to say if that would be the final number for the 2020-21 season. “Our top-flight competition once had 14 teams and a minimum of seven,” he said. “Any interested party can submit a plan which will be duly considered by the board.” Yuen also said the board would seek clubs’ comments on whether there would be an additional foreign quota for next season, with a maximum of five on the field, provided the additional foreign players are from a top 50 nation. The board rejected an earlier proposal of recruiting an additional foreign player from the world’s top 100 nations. The official also said it is the long-term target for the association to allow Premier League clubs to run their own competition separately. “The idea was studied in 2015 but was shelved immediately as the clubs found it too difficult to bear the cost, estimated to be several million dollars a year,” said Yuen. “We can revisit the idea if we can identify additional funding.”