Domestic football to return in September

The Vietnam Football Joint Stock Company (VPF) has announced the new schedule for the rest of the 2020 season.

The topflight V. League 1 will resume on September 26 after exactly a two-month break following the resurfacing of the pandemic.

The first leg of the league still has two more rounds left. In the second leg the top eight and the six teams from the first leg will compete in separate groups to identify the champion and relegated teams.

After 11 rounds, Saigon FC lead the table with 23 points, and Quang Nam are at the bottom with eight.

The top eight teams are expected to complete their fixtures on November 8, and the bottom six, a week later.

The National Cup quarterfinals will be played on September 11 and 12.

The V. League 2 will resume on September 25.

The VPF has told clubs to get permission from their local authorities to play the games before September 15. For Quang Nam and Da Nang, the Covid-19 hotspots, the deadline is September 21.

If Quang Nam FC and Da Nang cannot get permission from local authorities to play by then, the VPF will find neutral locations for their matches.

VPF will let organizers to decide whether to allow spectators in to see the matches.

However, it requires every player to have Covid-19 tests done and the results to be sent to the organizers three days before games.

It said it would require at least 60 days to finish all the remaining matches this season.

Vietnam has recorded 690 cases of community transmission since Covid-19 broke, 550 recorded since July 25 and linked to the epicenter Da Nang.

The tally stands at 1,040 with 32 deaths.