Ex-Galatasaray midfielder Dzemaili moves to China

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - A former Galatasaray midfielder from Switzerland, Blerim Dzemaili joined Chinese club Shenzhen FC on Friday.

"Bologna Fc 1909 announces that midfielder Blerim Dzemaili has left the Club to join Shenzhen F.C. on a permanent basis," the Italian football club said on their website.

Bologna wished their ex-captain Dzemaili good luck in his new club as well.

Dzemaili, 33, scored 13 goals in 92 matches for Bologna.

Playing as central midfielder, Dzemaili became the Turkish champion with Galatasaray in 2015.

Dzemaili was a Switzerland veteran, scoring 11 goals in 69 international appearances for his nation.

Shenzhen FC are playing in the League One, China's second-tier football division.

Similar to the U.S., Gulf countries, Japan and Turkey, China has been one of the top destinations for famous football players in their thirties, who aim to earn a high amount of salaries in the final years of their careers.

- China halts football matches amid coronavirus outbreak

China postponed nationwide football matches over the deadly novel coronavirus outbreak.

The Chinese Football Association said on its website on Thursday that it put off the 2020 football season at all levels to protect the health of fans, clubs, players, coaches, referees, and media staff from pandemic virus.

The federation stated that it would continue to cooperate and communicate with national authorities to determine the schedule and fixtures, considering the development of the coronavirus.

The Chinese football's governing body added that it respected and was thankful to the medical staff, who struggled to prevent disease which hit the Asian country.

The death toll in China from the novel coronavirus outbreak has climbed to 213, the National Health Commission said on Friday.

Some 9,700 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the coronavirus, also known as 2019-nCoV, have been reported in China.

The virus, which originated in Wuhan city, the central Hubei province, has raised alarms globally, with cases reported across Asia, Europe, the U.S., and Canada.