Asia

Singapore's government has axed an entire team of coronavirus-fighting mascots after one Liverpool-hating member of the five-strong band of fictional superheroes ended up enraging a section of the city's passionate soccer supporters.

The mascot, named MAWA (Must Always Walk Alone) Man, a play on Liverpool's anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone', was described on the government's website on a since-deleted page as "a Manchester United fan from the 80s."

The global players' union FIFPRO says there has been a sharp rise in the number of players reporting symptoms of depression or anxiety since the sport was brought to a standstill by the COVID-19 outbreak. 

FIFPRO said that 22% of women players and 13% of men players who took part in a survey reported symptoms "consistent with a diagnosis of depression" such as lack of interest, lack of appetite, lack of energy and self-esteem. This compared to 11% and 6% respectively in a similar survey conducted in December and January. 

What is set to become the world’s biggest football stadium broke ground on Thursday, with Chinese Super League club Guangzhou Evergrande beginning construction on a venue that is expected to be completed in 2022. 

The incredible-looking stadium will have 100,000 seats, which would pass Barcelona’s Camp Nou and equal Iran’s Azadi Stadium as the largest soccer-specific stadium.

Former Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini has been discharged from a Chinese hospital after recovering from the coronavirus. Fellaini now plays in the Chinese Super League for Shandong Luneng and had tested positive three weeks before being discharged.

The Men's International Champions Cup, which annually features European soccer powerhouses such as Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in exhibition play, will not be held this summer due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The tournament's parent company, Relevent Sports Group, made the announcement Friday.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min will be exposed to tear gas, undertake live-fire drills and go on a 30km loaded march during three weeks of intense military training in South Korea this month, a Marine Corps official told Reuters on Tuesday.

All able-bodied men are required to serve in the military for around two years in South Korea, which is technically still at war with the North, but Son received an exemption for leading the country to gold at the 2018 Asian Games.

The domestic Tajikistan soccer season is kicking off on schedule despite almost every other soccer league around the globe having ground to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The clubs in the landlocked Central Asian country of nine million people are largely unknown, even among the world's most ardent football fans.

But the Super Cup clash between champions Istiklol and league runners-up Khujand on Saturday could bring some solace to soccer fanatics this weekend with bookmakers already offering a variety of bets and even live streams of the game.

Chinese football is inching towards a return to action, with teams resuming training this week, though questions remain over when exactly the country's top flight can kick off its coronavirus-delayed 2020 campaign. 

Australia coach Graham Arnold has called for the age limit at the Tokyo Olympics football tournament to be raised to ensure that players who helped their country qualify remain eligible if the Games are postponed to 2021. The Olympic men's tournament is largely a youth affair, with squads allowed only three players above the age of 23.