Covid-19 sees Chinese Super League cost record US$30 million
- Figure includes booking out two hotels for four months and food for everyone in the bubble plus thousands of testing kits
- Chinese FA chairman Chen Yuxan says he can see a similar format for next season, even after some clubs complained
The 2020 Chinese Super League season, which finished on Thursday, was the most expensive in history according to Chinese Football Association chairman Chen Yuxan.
Speaking to domestic media, the CFA boss said that Covid-19 measures had seen the cost of the season rise to 200 million yuan (US$30.3 million).
This season’s CSL saw the 16 teams divided into two divisions based in bubbles in Suzhou and Dalian. Teams, staff and officials were confined to hotels aside from matches and training, with the hotels locked off from the outside world.
The cost of the two hotels for almost four months, food for those inside and thousands of nucleic acid tests for those inside the bubble contributed to the 200 million figure.
Other costs included the stadium and match officials, several of whom were flown in from South Korea for the final weeks of the season.
More than 23,000 tests were conducted in the first half of the season before teams moved to either the relegation or championship groups for the second stage.