China’s Shandong banned for 2 years from Asian club football over Ulsan no-show
Pull-out hours before match against South Korean side sees them barred from Asian competitions and fined US$50,000
Chinese club Shandong Taishan have been banned from Asian club competition for two years for their no-show against South Korean side Ulsan HD in the Asian Champions League (ACL) Elite in February.
The Chinese Super League side pulled out hours before the February 19 match, blaming “serious physical discomfort” of players and saying they were unable to form a team.
The Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) disciplinary and ethics commission said Shandong would not be able to play in the AFC’s club competitions up to and including the 2026-27 season editions, and fined the club US$50,000.
It also ordered Shandong to return a participation fee of US$600,000 and a performance bonus of US$200,000 to the AFC along with compensation of US$40,000 to Ulsan “in respect of damages and losses claimed” by the South Korean club.
Shandong’s pull-out came days after the club said they had banned supporters for “inappropriate behaviour” during a home ACL match against South Korean team Gwangju after fans in the crowd displayed images of South Korea’s last military dictator, Chun Doo-hwan.
Hundreds of people are estimated to have died or gone missing when the South Korean government violently put down the Gwangju uprising by pro-democracy protesters in May 1980, when Chun was the de facto leader of the country after leading a military coup.