Mexico City: Mexico's first-division football teams said they will return to the field after four months without play because of the coronavirus pandemic, but there will be no spectators when the first matches resume on 24 July.
The MX League said on Wednesday that the new season will run from 24 July to 24 December with a total of 12 teams. The top four squads advance automatically, while the other eight will play knock-out rounds to qualify.
League President Enrique Bonilla, who himself tested positive for the coronavirus, said it was unclear when the teams would be allowed to play in front of fans.
He said the previous season's Tijuana-Monterrey Copa MX championship faceoff, which was cancelled in March, will be played on 16 and 23 September.
Mexico have not yet reached the peak of their coronavirus outbreak, and have seen 1,24,301 confirmed cases and at least 14,696 deaths.
To date, 33 first-division players have tested positive for the virus, though all were believed to be asymptomatic.
The league is requiring teams to be tested before resuming training sessions, which will initially be limited to six players at a time. Later, full-squad training sessions will begin. For games, there will be limits on greetings, celebrations and pre-match ceremonies.
The league suspended play on 15 March, with 10 of 17 scheduled match dates having been played. It was the first time since the 1943-44 season that a season in Mexican top-division league play had been cancelled.
"It was the best move, but that doesn't make it any less sad," said Bonilla.
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