Football is coming back. Slowly, without fans, but it is coming back.
After the German Bundesliga, South Korean K League and other leagues around the world, more leagues are preparing to restart their games. In the Middle East, the leagues' recovery from COVID-19 can tell a lot about the region.
Egypt
Sources in the Egyptian Football Association say that there is a high chance that the current season will be null and void, meaning no champions and no relegation. The allocations for the African competitions will be decided by current rankings.
Jordan
In Jordan, the 2020 season was scheduled to start in March after a long break. The FA has decided to take to assimilate a few reforms as well as prepare the players to reach peak fitness in time for the 2022 World Cup. They played one round when the pandemic hit them. Three options are currently being considered: Return in August, in September or a full cancellation and starting the 2020/21 season instead.
Lebanon
The Lebanese Alpha League was cancelled even before the Corona because of the wave of protests in the country.
Syria
The current date is May 29th, but teams have not yet started training regularly.
Iraq
Iraqi FA set May 22nd as a date to debate the local league's future. The Iraqi League was halted due to the protests in the country at the end of 2019. One should not develop high hopes at this stage, of course.
Iran
Rumor has it that the Persian Gulf Pro League might return after June 11th. Starting this Thursday, training will be allowed, so nothing to do but wait for the FA’s decision.
Saudi Arabia
The Saudis are reportedly afraid to announce a cancellation for the league, as 12 out of the 16 clubs in the MBS League prefer to void the current season. Yet it seems they will have no choice to announce a comeback somewhere in late August, when the extreme summer heat starts wearing off.
UAE
The league will return sometime in August, per the official announcement.
Qatar
The league will restart and be completed between 24.7.2020 and 26.8.2020. Luckily for them, they have air-conditioned stadiums…
Israel and Palestine
Israel will be the first league in the region to return to action, May 30th being the launching date. The league will be played in an almost regular schedule, only without crowd. While Israel's Ligat Ha'Al belongs to UEFA, the first AFC league to return in the Middle East is the Palestinian West Bank Premier League!
The competition that was the last to fold when coronavirus spread, will probably be the first to return on June 12 in the following format:
After Eid al-Fitr (23.5 -25.5) the clubs will begin two weeks of training. The first week will include training in six-player teams; the second week will consist of regular practices. All training sessions should be done with masks, although we doubt that would happen).
There will be three coronavirus tests for all players and staff:
At the start of training; At the beginning of the second week for preparation; Before the first kickoff.
The games format would be as such:
Since there are three matchdays for the league to finish, the plan is to end the league in 8 days with games on Friday, Tuesday and the following Friday.
All games will take place in three stadiums only. The American University of Jenin, Faisal Husseini al-Ram and Dura Stadium in southern Mount Hebron.
The title looks safe with Shabab Balata of Nablus leading the table by 7 points, followed by al-Am'ari in second place. Reigning champions Hilal al-Quds are currently in fourth place with 12 points less, and a missing game. If Hilal want to win it, they will need a true miracle of three losses to Balata and four victories to them. Maybe next pandemic.
