Chinese club withdraws from Champions League

Chinese club Shandong Taishan have withdrawn from the AFC Champions League, hours before their final group game against Ulsan in South Korea, which was scheduled to be played on Wednesday. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) issued a statement confirming that Shandong have "withdrawn" from the competition, after the club officially announced that they would not attend the match at Ulsan Munsu Stadium. The reason for the Chinese team's failure to travel to the match was not disclosed, while the AFC said it would refer the matter to its relevant committees for investigation. Shandong had collected ten points from seven matches in the group stage, and needed only a draw against Ulsan to guarantee qualification to the round of 16. As a result of their withdrawal, Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua have officially qualified for the next round.