As the AFC Champions League Group J tournament kicks off on Saturday (16th), reports in the Chinese media have been thundering that Shanghai Seaport may postpone their trip to Thailand due to the worsening epidemic in the region, and that they are even planning to withdraw from the tournament. One player confessed in an interview, "The possibility of departure seems very slim, unless a miracle happens in the next few days."
Due to China's strict quarantine entry policy, the three Chinese Super League (CSL) teams participating in this year's "AFC Champions League" - Guangzhou, Shanghai Harbor and Shandong Taishan - have chosen to participate in the tournament with a second team of mainly young players in order to prevent players from missing out on the local tournament due to quarantine after their return to their home countries. The three Chinese Super League teams participating in this year's AFC Champions League - Guangzhou, Shanghai Harbor and Shandong Taishan - all chose to participate in the second team with mainly young players.
However, the recent outbreak in Shanghai has put fellow group Shanghai Seaport in a difficult situation with travel delays. According to Sports Weekly, the scheduled departure on Sunday (10th) has been postponed due to prevention and control measures. Currently, some of the players have been placed at the training base, while others are still at home, and it remains an unknown whether they will be able to assemble successfully.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) had earlier given special approval for Shanghai Seaport to arrive at the venue in Buriram no later than Friday (15), one day before the match. However, Shanghai's current anti-epidemic policy remains strict, with sources saying the team has yet to arrange return flights, and the chartered flight option has been difficult to implement due to the lack of time for approval. One player said in an interview, "The possibility of departure seems very slim unless a miracle happens in the next few days." As a result, Shanghai Seaport has begun to prepare for the worst, perhaps announcing its withdrawal a few days before the tournament is due to begin.
If Shanghai Seaport does pull out, the AFC will be faced with the difficulty of arranging a replacement team on an ad hoc basis, and Jiezhi's Group J may end up with only three teams left in the competition, with further details to be determined at the tournament.
