Shandong Fan's 'Forced', "We're also victims of game cancellation"...Other Chinese Fans Can't Avoid Fines

Shandong Fan's 'Forced', "We're also victims of game cancellation"...Other Chinese Fans Can't Avoid Fines

Blog Article

"Why don't you run away from the engagement and get punished?"

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on its official website on the 19th, "In accordance with Article 5 (2) of the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) Regulations, Shandong Taishan of China has no intention of playing a league stage match against Ulsan HD of South Korea on February 19, 2025. Shandong Taishan is considered to have withdrawn from the tournament."

At the same time, Ulsan also announced the cancellation of the match through its official channel. "The 8th leg of the ACLE League Stage, which was scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, has been canceled due to Shandong's abandonment of the tournament. Reservations will be automatically canceled. We ask for your understanding."

Ulsan cannot hide its bewilderment over the sudden cancellation of the match. An Ulsan official also expressed his frustration, saying, "We have not received any explanation from Shandong. We are in a hurry as we have been unilaterally informed through AFC." Ulsan, which has already been confirmed to be eliminated from the competition, tried to achieve a successful conclusion in the final match held on its home turf, but this was also canceled.

For now, Shandong has publicly announced the reason for withdrawal due to the health of the team. "The medical team's evaluation showed that the players were not in good condition and could not play in the eighth match of ACLE against Ulsan. We deeply regret this. We express our deepest apologies to AFC, Ulsan, many fans, and various sectors of society," Shandong announced through the club's official Weibo account.

Of course, this explanation cannot be readily understood. Few would accept the explanation that the entire team had health problems all of a sudden just before the start of the game. The Shandong team reportedly left the country after moving directly from a hotel to an airport without visiting the stadium.

However, Shandong played the Chinese Super League game. Instead of Choi Kang-hee, coach Kim Hyun-min played as an acting coach. Shandong drew 0-0 with Henan in the opening home game of the 2025 Chinese Super League held at the last Olympic Sports Center in Jinan, China on the 23rd. It was the first game in four days after canceling the match against Ulsan.

Of course, even Chinese fans at the time did not believe in Shandong's official announcement about the cancellation of the match against Ulsan. The fans scoffed at the posts, leaving comments such as "Do you think we'll believe it? Is it that easy?" "Secrets we can't tell," "Who would believe this?" and "Truth cannot be told at this strange club. You know what?," "Don't treat our fans like fools," and "ridiculous nonsense."

Earlier, Shandong had a controversial showdown with Gwangju at its home turf. Several spectators brought a photo of Chun Doo-hwan's face in print to cheer him on. Naturally, the Gwangju side strongly protested, and the AFC side decided to impose disciplinary action on Shandong. For now, Shandong apologized to the Gwangju club through the consulate. 메이저사이트

It is argued that the cancellation of the match against Ulsan, which was unclear, was also the aftermath of the start of the match against Gwangju. As if to prove this, Shandong's sincerity was questioned as the league game was played four days later. AFC is also in a situation predicted by severe disciplinary action against Shandong. Chinese fans are known to be strongly dissatisfied with the early flow.