Why the Premier League needs to learn from Asia

The discussion of when and how to restart the Premier League has been going on ever since the competition was suspended in March and it is gathering pace.

A South Korean fan celebrates Son Heung-min's goal for Tottenham Source: Getty Images

The United Kingdom is still trying to get to grips with the coronavirus that has resulted in almost 30,000 deaths and it is understandable that in dark times there is a desire - emotionally, symbolically and financially - to see the beautiful game return in some form.

It is a complex situation and there also seems to be a lot of disagreement on the best way to finish the season or even whether the season should finish at all. 

For answers and guidance, England should look to Asia and how various countries are handling a situation that has never had to be handled before.

China has had players and teams go through quarantine upon their return to the country from overseas training camps.

Coaches and players were met at airports and dressed in full hazmat suits before being taken directly by bus to hotels or club houses where they had to wait it out.

All players that returned to the country were tested. Marouane Fellaini tested positive and despite having no symptoms, spent weeks in isolation.

Clubs have been in training since the first half of last month but there is still no date set for the start of the Chinese Super League that was scheduled to kick off on February 22.

There were initially hopes for a late April restart but Fellaini’s positive test put a stop to that. Early May and then late May were discussed but then talk was of June and now it is July. 

Nothing has been decided in a country where life is returning to normal. China is being conservative and nobody in football wants to be responsible for any new infections.

Beijing will be keeping a close eye on proceedings across the Yellow Sea as, on Friday, the 2020 K League season finally kicks off in South Korea.

Through aggressive testing and tracing, the number of new cases has come down from a high of 909 on February 29 - the day the league was due to start - to single digits by late April.

There will be plenty of attention on the games next weekend, though fans will not be there just yet.

After a rise in attendances in 2019 that came after years of declining crowds, it would be a public relations disaster for the game to be responsible for a new wave of infections, but with 750 players tested last week (all came back negative) and new safety measures in place, all should be fine.

Pre-season friendlies have gone off without a hitch.

The action has looked slightly different with no shaking of hands, talking on the pitch discouraged, those on the bench wearing masks and everyone having their own water bottle.

Korea has worked incredibly hard to get to this point and still, there is an understanding that there could be a second wave later in the year.

The season has already been shortened from 38 rounds and it is hoped that 27 will be finished.

And then there is Australia. Despite a relatively small number of cases and deaths, the FFA have not been in a rush to return.

The desire to see football in England return as soon as possible may be understandable but (assuming there is no appetite for radical solutions such as completing the Premier League in China) there can surely be no rush in a country that is still seeing hundreds of people die every day.

Authorities in England and around the world that want to look at how and when to bring the beautiful game back could do a lot worse than look to Asia.