China Super League
IGHALO’S AGENT POSITIVE ABOUT MANCHESTER UNITED EXTENSION
There appears to be hope for Odion Ighalo in his bid to complete the current Premiership season with Manchester United. According to Daily Mail in the UK, Ighalo may benefit from Chinese regulations that prevent the Super League players who are abroad from returning till October.
Ighalo moved to Old Trafford on a short-term loan deal from Shanghai Shenhua back in January, but despite impressing in his spell in England his future is currently unclear amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The striker’s loan deal is set to expire this Sunday, leaving him in limbo between England and China, but his agent has now revealed that an extension is close to being agreed.
‘On the one hand, the Super Eagle [Nigerian] feels very good in Manchester with which it is very close to a salary agreement,’ Ighalo’s agent Ladi Salami told FootMercato.
‘Negotiations with the Chinese are ongoing and are going well. On the other hand, in view of the latest regulations in force in the Middle Empire, it is almost impossible to offer such amounts.’
The news of Ighalo’s potential extension to his time at Manchester United comes amid reports in China that foreign players may not be able to return to the country until October – despite the new season being set to start next month.
Up to a third of the Chinese Super League’s players are currently outside of China and face being refused entry until much later in the year, according to Sike football reporter Miao Yuan.
Ighalo is among a huge group of players and managers that fall into that category, including Dalian Yifang manager Rafa Benitez.
The ex-Newcastle boss, and two of his new signings Marcus Danielson and Sam Larsson, have been waiting for news in Hong Kong on when they will be allowed back into mainland China amid the pandemic.
Chinese authorities have banned footballers from getting tattoos and instructed national team players who have been inked to remove or cover them up to set a “good example for society”.
A growing number of high-profile Chinese players have been sporting tattoos, including international defender Zhang Linpeng, who has previously been told to cover up while appearing for both the national team and club side Guangzhou FC.
The General Administration of Sport of China (GAS) said in a statement headed, “Suggestions for strengthening the management of football players” that the Chinese Football Association would set out disciplinary requirements for national team players.
“National teams at all levels will strictly implement the relevant requirements of the management measures … (and) fully demonstrate the positive spirit of Chinese football players and set a good example for society,” it said.
It also said that for teams at Under 20 level and below the recruitment of players with tattoos was “strictly prohibited”.
The GAS added that national teams should organise “ideological and political education activities” that would “strengthen the patriotic education” of players.
Doing so would “enhance the sense of mission, responsibility and honour, and create a national team capable of conquering and fighting well and with excellent style of play”, it added.
China’s national team have failed to qualify for the World Cup finals since making their debut appearance in 2002 and look set to miss out on Qatar 2022.
-Reuters
Former Super Eagles’ hit man, Odion Ighalo is having his last days at his dream club, Manchester United as the extension granted by his Chinese club side, Shanghai Shenhua is nearing an end.
The extension lapses in January 2021. Even though Ighalo made instant impact when he initially joined the North England side, his influence has waned considerably to the extent that he had just nine minute of action in the current season of the Premier League.
Attention of Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is more on how to maximize the signing of Uruguayan striker, Edinson Cavani.
Former Super Eagles’ hitman, Obafemi Martins who at his peak was nicknamed ‘Obagoal’ is among players in the Chinese Super League who passed the Covid-19 test.
The reports have it that all players in the country where coronavirus originated last December have tested negative for COVID-19 as the season prepares to kick off on Saturday.
The campaign will begin after a five-month delay from the scheduled start, state news agency Xinhua reported.
A total of 1,870 individuals from the tournament’s two hubs – Suzhou near Shanghai and Dalian in the northeast of China – have undergone medical checks.
None of them tested positive for the disease that has caused havoc around the world, the report said.
Players and officials from the 16 participating teams will be confined to their hotel and parts of the stadiums and tests will be conducted once a week during the tournament, it added.
The CSL was originally scheduled to start on February 22 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Teams will play a round robin with the top four qualifying for an eight-team ‘championship’ stage and the bottom four from each group going into a ‘relegation’ phase.
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