China's national football team to assemble in mid-May

China's national football team will set up a training camp in mid-May to prepare for its next World Cup qualifiers, which have been delayed indefinitely due to COVID-19.

Li Tie, the Chinese head coach, said after his side finished a 34-day training camp early this month that the team will assemble again in May to get ready for qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

His squad will probably meet in Shanghai to have a two-week training during which they will play at least two matches with some Chinese Super League teams, according to a report by The Beijing News.

The training camp will close  before May 31, giving the players sufficient time to prepare with their respective clubs for the 2020 CSL campaign, which could kick off at the end of June with COVID-19 under control in China, the report said.

Li promised to call up more naturalized players into his team after he picked only one of them for the last training camp.

He also revealed that the coronavirus outbreak took a psychological toll on his side in March when the players found themselves stranded in Dubai.

Some players reportedly complained of mental fatigue after staying together for 34 days, including an obligatory two-week quarantine on their return to China from Dubai.

CGTN

Meanwhile, the Chinese Football Association has proposed clubs slash wages of players and coaches by at least 30 percent to cut costs because of the coronavirus, media said Tuesday.

The People's Daily said that the CFA is now awaiting feedback from teams in the top-tier CSL and the two divisions below.

The CSL season was supposed to begin on February 22 but was indefinitely postponed after coronavirus emerged in central China in December, before spreading worldwide.

"After the opinions are collected and revised, the Chinese Football Association will report to FIFA and other relevant departments," the state-run newspaper said.

"It is understood that the target of the Chinese Football Association (wages cuts)... does not include youth players and ordinary employees with relatively low salaries," People's Daily added.

The CSL has enticed foreign coaches and players in recent years with vast pay packets.

Shanghai SIPG's Brazilian attacking midfielder Oscar is one of the best-paid players in the world on an estimated US$27 million a year.

Temporary wage reductions in football are a hot topic with clubs facing financial challenges because of the pandemic, which has seen most leagues indefinitely suspended.

Arsenal became the first English Premier League club to agree a pay cut on Monday with manager Mikel Arteta and players accepting a 12.5 percent reduction in salary.

Clubs in Europe's other top leagues, including Lionel Messi's Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus, have similarly cut wages.