AFC East Asia region matches kick off next week
All three Chinese Super League teams selected young players to play
The East Asia region group stage of the AFC Champions League in the new season will be played from April 15 to May 1. After the Changchun Yatai team announced their “retirement” early, the three Chinese Super League teams Shandong Taishan, Shanghai Haigang and Guangzhou with tickets for the main match sent reserve teams or youth teams to participate in the AFC Champions League. However, due to the impact of the epidemic, the Shanghai Seaport team’s competition plan is full of variables, and it is doubtful whether it can rush to Thailand to participate in the competition as scheduled.
Affected by various factors, the Changchun Yatai team, which originally qualified for the AFC Champions League play-offs, finally gave up and focused on the Chinese Super League and the FA Cup in the new season. The other three Chinese Super League teams that won the AFC Champions League tickets have no plans to give up their normal participation. However, affected by factors such as the epidemic and epidemic prevention policies, the three Chinese Super League clubs had to assign “second teams” or reserve teams, mainly young players, to participate in the AFC Champions League.
A reporter from Beijing Youth Daily learned that the Shandong Taishan team led by former Olympic player Yu Yuanwei will depart from Guangzhou to Thailand on the 11th of this month, and then go to Buriram, Thailand to participate in the AFC Champions League. The Guangzhou team also plans to travel to Johor Bahru, Malaysia to participate in the AFC Champions League in the next few days. The AFC Champions League Group J competition where the Shanghai Haigang team is located is also scheduled to be played in Buriram, Thailand. The team originally planned to leave for Thailand on the 10th. However, the information from the seaport on the morning of the 10th showed that the team would definitely not be able to set off on the same day, and there was no clear concept of when to set off.
Compared with the Taishan team and the Guangzhou team, the Haigang team encountered a relatively big problem in terms of visiting. It is reported that the Seaport Club confirmed to assign a “Youth Army” to participate in the AFC Champions League. Most of the team’s players are currently undergoing closed training at the Oriental Oasis Base under the leadership of Japanese coach Takayuki Kaneko. And Chen Chunxin, Lei Wenjie and other relatively older players are in their homes in downtown Shanghai. There is no definite answer from the club as to whether the team can leave the country as scheduled. Recently, the club has repeatedly communicated with all parties including the AFC on related issues. The club also made estimates for various situations that may arise, including extreme situations, and even did not rule out the possibility of not being able to send a team to participate in the competition. The AFC also understands the difficulties faced by the club and even allows teams to arrive at the venue no later than the day before the competition.
In fact, in addition to the travel problem, the epidemic prevention and safety of the Chinese Super League teams after arriving at the venue and the itinerary for returning home after the game are also particularly important. Judging from the current situation, it is difficult for the three Chinese Super League clubs to arrange charter flights to and from their respective teams. In overseas competitions, it is also questionable whether the team can always stay within the closed loop of safe epidemic prevention as in China. This means that if the Chinese Super League team is confirmed to participate in the AFC Champions League, they will face severe tests on and off the field.
Text/Co-ordinator by our reporter Xiao Xun/Du Rui
Photo courtesy/Visual China