After many delays the Philippines Football League is slated to start their 2020 season on Wednesday at the National Training Center in Carmona, Cavite.
The PFL's October 25 start date was pushed back due to numerous persons testing positive for COVID-19 within the league's bubble at Seda Nuvali. The league also said weather brought about by Tropical Depression Quinta was another reason for a delay.
Five players and a coach from two different clubs tested positive after undergoing an RT-PCR swab test upon entering the bubble on October 21. Three additional people were found positive after antigen tests were conducted on close contacts.
Since then, the PFL said in a statement that they had conducted another round of antigen tests on all players, coaches and staff. All the tests produced negative results. Games and Amusement Board chairman Abraham Mitra posted on Twitter that the league will start without the players who originally tested positive.
"This is a big moment for everyone in the football community," PFL president Mariano Araneta said. "We appreciate the collective effort from the PFF, the clubs, and most important, the Games and Amusements Board and the city government of Santa Rosa, Laguna."
The PFL is expected to release an amended schedule on Monday.