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Amid a surge in cases of the rapidly spreading coronavirus in recent weeks, China's men's football team head coach Li Tie has pledged to donate 1 million yuan (144,161 U.S. dollars) towards helping frontline medical teams in the battle against the outbreak.
The former Everton midfielder is widely admired in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic where 170 deaths and 7,711 confirmed cases have been reported as of the end of Wednesday. He guided local club Wuhan Zall to Chinese Super League (CSL) promotion in 2018 and led the inexperienced side to an unlikely sixth-place finish last season.
After a much-publicized selection process at the beginning of 2019, the 42-year-old was appointed the new China coach, filling the void left by Italian veteran tactician Marcello Lippi, who stepped down following Team Dragon's 0-1 loss to Syria in a November World Cup qualifier.
"I can feel the warmth from the Wuhan citizens as I've worked there over the past two years. They've displayed solidarity, bravery, tolerance and confidence to everybody," said Li.
"I'm deeply convinced that Wuhan will emerge triumphant in this coronavirus fight," he added.
Shanghai SIPG players prepare for the 2020 Chinese Super League during a training session in Shanghai, January 23, 2020. /VCG Photo
Wuhan Zall players and supporters have also donated more than 1 million yuan to help contain the deadly outbreak, which has affected a growing list of sporting events in China.
The Chinese Football Association has taken the decision to move all domestic football matches, including the 2020 CSL – set to kick off on February 22 – to an unspecified later date, the football governing body announced on Thursday morning.
The World Athletics Indoor Championships scheduled to take place in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, in March have also been postponed until 2021.
Meanwhile, both Formula 1 management and International Automobile Federation (FIA) are monitoring the situation to consider their options for the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, which is scheduled for 19 April, the Guardian reported.
Although the virus originated in Wuhan, Shanghai reported five new cases of coronavirus-related pneumonia on Thursday morning, taking the total to 101.
A statement from F1 read: "At this stage we can only say that we're monitoring the situation closely with our promoter in China and the FIA."
