South Korea postpones K-league football season over coronavirus

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, in green, were due to open the defence of their K-league title this weekend. The league has been postponed due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country. EPA

South Korea's K-league has postponed the start of the new football season due to the outbreak of coronavirus in the country.

The 12-team league had been due to start this weekend, with champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors slated to play Suwon Bluewings on Saturday.

"The K-league has decided to temporarily postpone the start of the 2020 K-league season until the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak eases," it said in a statement.

"This is a measure to protect the health and safety of the citizens and our players with the highest priority against the outbreak of the COVID-19 which has entered a serious phase," the K-league said after an emergency board meeting.

Authorities have so far confirmed 763 cases of novel coronavirus in South Korea, most of them linked to Shincheonji, a controversial religious sect. Seven deaths have so far been reported in the country - five of them patients at the same hospital.

Matches featuring Daegu FC, based in the city that is the epicentre of the South Korean outbreak, and nearby Pohang Steelers, had already been delayed.

The Asian Football Confederation, the continent's governing body, has yet to confirm whether the postponement will affect the AFC Champions League.

After China indefinitely postponed the start of its own domestic league, Chinese teams were mostly sidelined from the Asian football's premier club competition until April.

Nearly 2,600 people have died in China but the rising number of coronavirus cases and deaths elsewhere has deepened fears about a potential pandemic.