As three Australian Premier League teams have announced that they are abandoning their AFC Champions League campaigns, Guangdong Media has broken the news that two of the biggest names in the game, Guangzhou Evergrande and Beijing Guoan, are also considering withdrawing from the tournament. It seems that the attraction of this year's AFC Champions League has been greatly diminished, with empty stadiums in the midst of an epidemic that has left the players uninspired. Coupled with shrinking sponsorships, the AFC's revenue has plummeted, and the dividends to clubs are not what they used to be, which is undoubtedly the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Thinking back to the last World Qualifier, when the Macau team was faced with a canceled match against Yemen, the players held a spontaneous press conference to express their desire to participate, and they were willing to fight for their dreams despite the ongoing conflict in Yemen. Personally, I think the management of Evergrande and Guoan should fully consider the players' voices when deciding whether to withdraw from the AFC Champions League. Maybe some players have few chances to play, or are about to leave the team, but they are still willing to join the AFC Champions League.
In fact, if not for the epidemic, some players from Guoan and Evergrande might not even be able to reach the threshold of the AFC Champions League. Now that the opportunity is in front of them, if they have the will, the club should give full consideration. Under the premise of ensuring the health of the players, the club can agree with the players on the following conditions: one is to participate in no bonuses or subsidies, the second is the AFC dividends to the club, and the third is to meet the opponents of the players failed to pass the test, the club has the right to give up the game. As long as the two sides have agreed on the conditions, the decision of the players should be respected.
Life and death have their own destiny. Nowadays, many fans are quick to ask for withdrawal, but never considered the feelings of the players. Admittedly, our players in the individual ability and Japan, South Korea, Iran and other teams there is a gap, but would rather be broken, not for the whole. In the face of difficulties, know the difficulties to advance is a man's nature, often withdraw from the game, is this what men do?
