Kuala Lumpur, Chinese club Shanghai Port has been forced by the city’s COVID-19 lockdown to withdraw from the AFC Champions League, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said today.

Due to travel restrictions in the city, which has experienced record levels of infection in recent weeks, Port was unable to make the trip to Thailand for six Group J games.

It’s first game was scheduled to be on Saturday against Vissel Kobe of Japan.

Port will not be replaced in its group, which leaves Kobe, Kitchee of Hong Kong and Chiangrai United of Thailand competing to reach the second round.

Port, a semifinalist in 2017, is the second Chinese team to pull out of the competition after Changchun Yatai withdrew last month.

Source: Oman News Agency