Players will not shake hands, and spitting and conversations at close quarters on the field are prohibited, as the league that had been scheduled to start Feb. 29 opens its season.
SEOUL — South Korea’s soccer league will kick off the season Friday, three days after the first pitch was thrown in baseball, in yet another sign that life in the country is starting to return to normal after strenuous efforts to contain the coronavirus.
The K-League had been scheduled to start Feb.29 but on that day there were 909 infections of the virus, the country’s highest daily total. After weeks of extensive testing and tracing, that number has fallen to single figures since mid-April.
Soccer authorities have regularly consulted with medical experts and were advised that if the number of new cases fell below 30 for two weeks, then the league season could start.
And so the action begins with defending champion Jeonbuk Motors facing Suwon Bluewings on Friday night in the southwestern city of Jeonju.
“Thanks to the hard work of the South Korean medical workers and the population’s active participation in social distancing, the league can start,” K-League President Kwon Oh-gap told the Associated Press. “Also, we appreciate that clubs and players have fully cooperated in the preparation process.”
There are restrictions, however.
