Shandong Taishan, a club in the Chinese Super League, have opted out of the Asian Champions League Elite just hours before their crucial league phase match against Ulsan HD in South Korea on Wednesday.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that Shandong were “deemed to have withdrawn” from the tournament after the club revealed they would not be fielding a team for the encounter at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium.
In a statement on their official website, Shandong explained that “due to significant physical discomfort among the team members, and following an assessment by the medical team, the players were unable to assemble a team to compete against Ulsan HD Football Club.”
“We sincerely regret this situation and extend our apologies to the AFC, Ulsan HD, our fans, and all members of the public.”
The confederation previously indicated that the matter would be referred to the appropriate AFC committees.
Having accumulated 10 points from their initial seven matches, Shandong only needed a draw against Ulsan to secure advancement to the knockout stage.
This withdrawal ensures that fellow Chinese team Shanghai Shenhua will progress to the next round.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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