Coronavirus: these African players stopped in the Chinese championship

Text by: Farid Achache Follow

The Chinese Football Federation has suspended its Chinese Super League championship until further notice. This has the effect of "technical unemployment" of African players playing in the Chinese championship.

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On the Asian continent, the coronavirus has rocked the world of sport. In China, where the epidemic began, the football championship which was supposed to start on February 22 is stopped. As a result, African players do not currently have the opportunity to express their talent on Chinese lawns.

Jean Evrard Kouassi stuck in Spain

This is the case of Cameroonian Christian Bassogog who joined the Chinese Super League club Henan Jianye in 2017. He is currently in Yaoundé following the suspension of the championship. The attacker announced that he would give 10 million CFA francs to help Cameroonian students living in regions of China affected by the coronavirus. Despite everything, Christian Bassogog is part of the list of players called by the coach for the double confrontation against Mozambique in the context of the CAN 2021 qualifiers. Remember that as a host country, Cameroon is qualified as office.

The Ivorian Jean Evrard Kouassi is stuck in Spain with his club, the Wuhan Zall. Wuhan, the city from which the coronavirus originated. In the preseason in Cadiz in Andalusia, everyone is unable to return to their country due to drastic security measures. They must remain on Spanish territory. And out of solidarity, Real Madrid and La Liga decided to make a gesture towards them with an invitation to watch the classic against FC Barcelona on Sunday March 1st. Jean Evrard Kouassi was therefore present during Real's victory (2-0).

Ayoub El Kaabi returned to Morocco

Another figure of African football evolving in China, the Congolese Cédric Bakambu (Beijing Guoan). The 28-year-old striker thought he was getting involved with FC Barcelona in the winter transfer window. But the transfer is aborted. Today, the former Villarreal player patiently awaits the resumption of the Chinese championship.

The Moroccan international, Ayoub El Kaabi, has returned to the country. The only Atlas Lion to evolve within a Chinese championship team had been staying in Japan for several weeks to prepare for the start of the season. El Kaabi had been loaned to Wydad Casablanca for six months before joining his club last December.

Nigerian Odion Ighalo joined Manchester United in the winter transfer window thanks to a loan from Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua for the rest of the season. Upon arrival, as a precautionary measure, Ighalo remained in “quarantine” during the incubation period (the period between the time of infection and the appearance of the first symptoms), lasting 14 days. And the club had decided not to take the striker to his winter holiday training camp in Spain, because they fear that he will have difficulty returning to the United Kingdom. Since then, he has distinguished himself by opening his counter against Bruges in the Europa League.

For several years, China has established itself with the Golf countries as one of the favorite destinations of the former African stars of the ball, especially at the end of their career. But today, with the drop in salaries for foreign footballers, there are not so many of them who have to deal with the coronavirus problem on Chinese territory.

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