All eyes are on Jeonju for the opening K-League clash

During late February and early March, the number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea spiked at a rapid rate from a few dozen, to a few hundred, to several thousand.

The country witnessed the peak of the virus outbreak on February 29^th, when as many as 909 cases were reported among their population.

Coincidentally, this was also the day when K-League, the professional football league in the country, was supposed to kick off in Jeonju. The defending champions Jeonbuk Motors were set to host Suwon Bluewings then, but the fixture had to be postponed due to the outbreak.

However, the scenario in South Korea has strikingly improved over the last couple of months, with the country flattening the curve at an impressive rate. Now, with local infections down to single digits since mid-April – and down to zero on 4^th May – the situation is deemed safe enough for football to resume.

During its 37-year-long history, the K-League has never received the kind of attention it will get on Friday evening, when the 2020 season finally begins. South Korea has emerged as a global inspiration in battling Covid-19 and now they have the chance to provide a similar example in the field of football.

Despite initially struggling to find a domestic broadcaster for the 2020 season, the K-League has now signed ten international deals with various broadcasters from China to Croatia ahead of the opening game on Friday.

Taiwan and Turkmenistan are the other nations currently going ahead with their domestic league in Asia, but the level of competition in South Korea is regarded as the finest in the region and their steadfast resurgence amidst a global pandemic is the stuff of dreams.

There is no complacency in the air, however. All 1,100 staff and players set to be involved in the K-League were tested for the virus last week and within just six hours, all of it came back as negative.

The President of the K-League Kwon Oh-gap has also insisted that matches will be suspended for at least two weeks, if a person from any team gets infected again.

The 12-team league has also reduced the total number of games from 38 to 27, while players will have personalised water bottles and they will not be shaking hands before the game. Coaches are already preparing to get their instructions through while wearing masks and the fans will not be allowed entry into the stadium during the initial weeks.

South Korea are determined to complete the 2020 football season without any hassle and the whole world will turn to them, yet again, for inspiration.