Two important announcements this week taught us new things about the global pandemic, COVID-19.
First, it was South Korea that announced the return of the K League, then it was Tajikistan, who decided to suspend the Higher League.
Within all the fog that comes with the intense clash between coronavirus and football, one thing is sure: nothing is assured, and nobody knows precisely what will happen. Football officials can try and guess, plan to a specific date, but the fundamental truth is that this virus has been the first time the modern football paradigm has been tested heavily and with no mercy.
The fact that the K League will return on May 8 for the excitement of millions of Asian football fans, and that Japanese J League is trying to replace a day after, fills football fans worldwide with hope and optimism. Yet, those who are following football in the pandemic era know that, again, nothing is sure.
On Saturday afternoon, Tajikistan football association announced the suspension of the league until May 10, at least, although in Tajikistan there were no identified cases of coronavirus infections. Different reports say that there are cases of severe respiratory distress. Similar reports are coming out from Turkmenistan.
This news assured that we are far away from the definitive solution that everybody is waiting for. Yet like the virus itself, who started in one point and moved west taking more and more countries under its custody, football will do the same. On the same way, the virus influence was different from one country to another, the same way that the return of football will be separate and individual.
Tajikistan said goodbye for now with a great goal, but it’s ok. Until the Central Asian countries cope with what the rest of the world is dealing with in the past months, we will have Korean football to replace them.
