Chinese Super League side Shandong Taishan has been banned from Asian club competitions for two years after failing to play their AFC Champions League Elite match against South Korea’s Ulsan HD in February.
The club withdrew just hours before the February 19 clash, citing “serious physical discomfort” among players and claiming they could not field a team.
The Asian Football Confederation’s Disciplinary and Ethics Commission ruled that Shandong will be excluded from all AFC club competitions until the end of the 2026/27 season. The club was fined US$50,000, ordered to return a US$600,000 participation fee, repay a US$200,000 performance bonus, and compensate Ulsan with US$40,000 for damages and losses.
The incident followed controversy earlier in the tournament when Shandong banned some supporters for “inappropriate behaviour” during a home match against Gwangju FC, after fans displayed images of former South Korean military dictator Chun Doo-hwan — a figure linked to the violent suppression of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising.
