COVID-19: Australia halts top football league

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) – Australia postponed the final rounds of its 2019-2020 football season due to the coronavirus pandemic, the country's football association announced on Tuesday.

“Football Federation Australia (FFA) today announced that it has postponed the final rounds of the Hyundai A-League 2019/20 Season. This postponement is effective immediately,” read a statement on the FFA website.

It said that all clubs playing in the country’s top football league have supported the decision.

“FFA will review the situation over the coming weeks with a further formal status assessment now scheduled for April 22nd,” the statement added.

The federation’s head James Johnson said the main goal “is to ensure the safety of both the football community and the community at large.”

Sydney FC are currently leading the 2019-2020 Hyundai A-League, with 48 points in 20 matches.

The other title contenders, Melbourne City FC, are in second place with 40 points in 23 games.

The Hyundai A-League has two parts; the top six teams after the 27-week regular season compete for the title in the playoffs.

The Australian football league is the latest in a long list of sporting events to be disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Australia has reported over 2,000 cases so far, with eight deaths and more than 110 recoveries.

The virus first emerged in Wuhan, China, last December and has spread to at least 168 countries and territories. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a pandemic.

There have been over 382,600 confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide since last December and the death toll now tops 16,500, while over 101,800 people have recovered, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.