Chinese club Shandong given 2-year ban from Asian club competition after no-show
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 $50,000.
It also ordered Shandong to return a participation fee of $600,000 and a performance bonus of $200,000 to the AFC along with compensation of $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 it 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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
28 minutes ago
- Reuters
Al Hilal face ban from 2026-27 Saudi Super Cup
Aug 5 (Reuters) - Holders Al Hilal will be banned from the 2026-27 Saudi Super Cup if they qualify after withdrawing from this season's four-team competition, the Saudi Arabia Football Federation's (SAFF) Disciplinary and Ethics Committee said on Tuesday. The decision came after Al Hilal pulled out of the Super Cup, scheduled to be played from August 19-23 in Hong Kong, citing player fatigue following their Club World Cup campaign. They lost 2-1 to Fluminense in the quarter-finals on July 4. "Al Hilal refused to participate in the Saudi Super Cup for the 2025-2026 season after the official schedule for the competition was issued," the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee said in a statement. "As a result, the committee ruled that Al Hilal had violated Article (59-3) of the Disciplinary and Ethics Regulations and fined the club 500,000 Saudi Riyals ($133,000) to be paid to the SAFF," the statement added. In addition to the fine, the club was banned from participating in the 2026-27 Super Cup and stripped of any financial awards allocated for this season's competition. The committee said the decision is subject to appeal. Al Hilal have been asked for comment. They won the Super Cup by beating Al Nassr last season for a record-extending fifth title. The Saudi Super Cup is contested by the winners and runners-up of the King's Cup and Saudi Pro League. Al Hilal finished second in the 2024-25 Pro League behind Al-Ittihad. Al Hilal, who were due to face King's Cup runners-up Al Qadsiah in the Super Cup semi-finals on August 20, have been replaced by AFC Champions League winners Al Ahli. Since Al-Ittihad won the Pro League and King's Cup, the extra Super Cup spot was awarded to Al Nassr - the third-placed team in the league - who they face in the semis on August 19. ($1 = 3.75 riyals)
BBC News
30 minutes ago
- BBC News
Greenwood nears international return with Jamaica
Mason Greenwood is close to a return to international football after being granted citizenship and given a Jamaican has not played an international since his only England cap against Iceland in September 2020. Within 48 hours he had been sent home, along with Manchester City's Phil Foden, for breaching Covid quarantine secured a Jamaican passport only a change from the Football Association (FA) to the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) is required for Greenwood to be cleared to feature in next month's World Cup qualifiers against Bermuda and Trinidad and left Manchester United after charges against him, including attempted rape and assault, were dropped in February joined Spanish club Getafe on loan and then, in 2024, signed for Ligue 1 side Marseille on a permanent 23-year-old scored in Marseille's pre-season 1-1 draw with Sevilla at the weekend, and has been linked with moves to Inter Milan and Saudi Pro-League club Al-Nassr. Greenwood is part of a renewed drive by Jamaica, managed by former England boss Steve McClaren, to recruit UK-raised players through their family links. Brentford's Rico Henry and Tottenham's Tyrese Hall, who has joined Notts County on loan, also fall into that category. Jamaica are aiming to qualify for the World Cup for only the second time, having done so in 1998.
Reuters
30 minutes ago
- Reuters
Two Chinese nationals in California accused of illegally shipping Nvidia AI chips to China
Aug 5 (Reuters) - Two Chinese nationals were arrested in California and charged with illegally shipping tens of millions of dollars' worth of AI chips to China, including Nvidia H100s, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday. Chuan Geng, 28, of Pasadena, and Shiwei Yang, 28, of El Monte, exported the advanced Nvidia chips and other technology to China from October 2022 through July 2025 without obtaining the required licenses from the U.S. Commerce Department, a criminal complaint says. According to the complaint, Geng and Yang's El Monte-based company, ALX Solutions Inc, was founded in 2022, shortly after the U.S. imposed sweeping export controls on technology to China and began to require licenses for the chips. A spokesperson for Nvidia declined comment. Over 20 shipments from ALX solutions went to shipping and freight forwarding companies in Singapore and Malaysia, which are often used as transshipment points for illegal goods to China. ALX received a $1 million payment from a China-based company in January 2024 and other payments from companies in Hong Kong and China, not the freight forwarding companies. Nvidia H100s are advanced chips that can be used to train large language models and for other applications, such as developing self-driving cars and medical diagnosis systems. Records show that from at least August 2023 to July 2024, ALX Solutions bought over 200 Nvidia H100 chips from San Jose, Calif-based server maker Super Micro Computer, declaring that the end users were in Singapore and Japan. Super Micro did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In addition to Nvidia's H100s, the pair are accused of illegally shipping Nvidia video graphics cards known as PNY GE Force RTX 4090, which also require a license for export to China. Geng and Yang appeared in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles late Monday, according to the Justice Department. Geng, a permanent resident, was released on $250,000 bond. Yang, who overstayed her visa, has a detention hearing on August 12.
