The AFC Champions League Elite (Asian Champions League) has become complicated after Shandong Taishan (China) unexpectedly withdrew from the competition just before the final matchday of the qualifying round. This has disrupted the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Shandong Taishan's opponents.
Specifically, the AFC will be held responsible to its advertising and television partners for the cancellation of the match between Ulsan HD and Shandong Taishan two hours before kick-off. The AFC is working on the matter, and it is highly likely that the Chinese team will have to compensate for significant losses related to advertising, sponsorships, and the reputation of the league.
Shandong Taishan withdraws from the AFC Champions League.
Besides the sponsorship issue, the AFC also had to deal with the professional problems of the tournament. Shandong Taishan's withdrawal forced the AFC to cancel the results of all matches the team had previously participated in. Teams that won or drew against Shandong Taishan suffered losses.
The AFC Champions League Elite East Zone standings have been subject to significant changes. For example, Pohang Steelers lost 2-5 to Johor Darul Tazim (Malaysia) in their final group stage match. They finished the group stage with 9 points, just enough to advance to the quarter-finals in 8th place. However, the South Korean team, who had previously beaten Shandong Taishan, had 3 points deducted, leaving them with only 6 points.
Shanghai Port (China) with only 8 points automatically took the lead and secured a ticket to the next round.
Shandong Taishan FC posted a statement explaining their decision to withdraw from the tournament. The Chinese team stated that their members were experiencing "serious health problems." Shandong Taishan's medical team confirmed that the team did not have enough players to participate in the competition.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/doi-bong-trung-quoc-khien-cup-c1-chau-a-nao-loan-ar927226.html
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