Ulsan HD Shandong Taishan canceled 2 hours before kickoff...Potential to advance to the round of 16 in Pohang!
Feb 19, 2025
|
Ulsan HD, led by head coach Kim Pan-gon, was scheduled to play Shandong Taishan (China) in the final Asian Champions League (ACLE) league phase in the 2024-2025 season at 7 p.m. on the 19th at Ulsan Munsu World Cup Stadium.
Just over two hours before kickoff, the lightning dropped. The Asian Champions League (AFC) announced on its website that it will cancel the match between Shandong and Ulsan in accordance with Article 5, Paragraph 2 of the ACLE Regulations.
At the same time, Chinese media Sohu will not play against Ulsan. Shandong was deemed out of the ACLE this season. The Shandong club voluntarily waived its eligibility to participate. It is expected to be submitted to the AFC committee for a follow-up decision. Shandong's absence will affect the situation of other participating teams. Shandong's absence is drawing great attention. Fans and the media are sorry for the team's decision. The specific reason for this decision has not yet been made public. Further explanations are likely to be made in the subsequent official announcement. It will provide more opportunities for other competitors,' it reported.
An official from the Korea Professional Football Association said "Shandong reportedly sent an official letter requesting cancellation of the game on the 19th. The AFC makes the final decision, but it is said that Shandong's ACLE game this season is canceled, not the game cancellation. The club is said to have cited the "team's health problems" as a reason. However, the results of Shandong's existing games seem to remain the same. Only Ulsan and Shandong games are canceled.
According to the Ulsan club, the Shandong team did not even appear at the stadium.
Shandong is ranked eighth, accumulating 10 points in the previous seven games. There is a possibility that the ranking will be reversed as Shandong's results of this season's game are canceled. Depending on the situation, the ninth-ranked Pohang Steelers (9 points) can advance to the round of 16 in eighth place. However, we have to watch the results of the match between Shanghai Haigang (China) and Yokohama Marinos (Japan) on the 19th. Shanghai is ranked 10th with eight points.
Meanwhile, AFC launched ACLE with ambition ahead of this season. ACLE, which stands for the European Champions League (UCL), is 'Tranian War'. The prize money alone is a whopping 10 million dollars (about 14.4 billion won). Only the top 24 Asian teams (East Asia 12 and West Asia 12) were invited. In the K-League, Ulsan, Pohang, and Gwangju FC participated. However, he was on the verge of being eliminated one after another in the first round. Only Gwangju FC survived. K League 1 champion Ulsan and Korea Cup champion Pohang failed to advance to the round of 16. On the other hand, Japan's J-League showed amazing performance as all three teams passed the league stage. China also had two teams alive, while Malaysia and Thailand also won a ticket to the round of 16. In West Asia, Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nasr (Saudi Arabia), Hoobeng Neves' Al Hilal (Saudi), and Ivan Toney's Al Ahli (Saudi) reached the round of 16 without any unexpected changes.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
