Shandong Luneng midfielder Marouane Fellaini (top) competes for a header on Sunday in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning Province. Photo: VCG

After shrugging off the coronavirus bug, Belgian footballer Marouane Fellaini became the highlight of the first round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) by scoring three headers in less than 10 minutes on Sunday.

The 32-year-old is the only player in the CSL to have contracted the novel coronavirus, though his case was diagnosed as asymptomatic in March. 

Many worried his form would drop as the virus is reportedly reducing organ capability, but Fellaini has proved that he has fully overcome the virus. He was named Player of the Round. 

The former Manchester United midfielder spent three weeks in the hospital before being discharged in mid-April. After his hospital stay, he then spent two weeks in quarantine.

He has posted pictures and videos on social media of him doing exercises while in confinement. 

His story has been widely hailed on social media, with many posting "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

Similar cases to Fellaini have been seen in Europe, including Argentine forward Paulo Dybala of Juventus. He tested positive in March but managed to help Bianconeri win their ninth consecutive Scudetto title. 

The CSL kicked off on Saturday, five months later than originally scheduled due to the coronavirus outbreak. 

All the matches are being played behind closed doors, as the 16 teams have been divided into two groups playing in Suzhou and Dalian to limit the risk of infection. Players and coaches will have to spend their days in sealed-off hotels for two months.

Chen Xuyuan, chief of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), said in an interview with the Xinhua News Agency released on Wednesday that the CFA has dispatched more than two-thirds of its staff to the two hosting cities, where they will follow strict virus prevention measures.

"We have four 'Nos' for CFA officials: no alcohol, no sightseeing, no dinner gatherings and no friends or family visits. Whoever violates the rules has to leave," Chen said, noting that CFA officials have had to make sacrifices to guarantee the resumption of the CSL. 

The first round of the CSL has brought in more than 80 million viewers, with 69 percent of fans watching through portable devices, according to CSL's online broadcaster PP Sports. The second CSL round will start on Thursday. 

There are also uncertainties around the second phase of the CSL, as the CFA traditionally makes the national team a priority over league clubs.

The Asian Champions League club competition and the national team's 2022 World Cup Asian qualifiers are reducing the matchday choices for the league.

Team China was scheduled to play three home games - against the Maldives, the Philippines and Syria - and one away game - against Guam - in the World Cup Asian qualifying series earlier in 2020, but the games have all been postponed due to the pandemic.

It has not yet been decided where the games will be played, but the Asian football body AFC has set a timeframe of October-November. 

"Considering that international travel might lead to a 14-day quarantine on both entry and exit, it is impossible for the national team to play games," Chen said. 

"We are considering hosting all teams in China to play the matches."

If the October qualifiers are to be postponed to November, the second phase of the CSL schedule will be "adjusted accordingly," Chen noted.