Shandong Taishan have issued a statement to explain their abrupt withdrawal from the AFC Champions League Elite, citing "serious physical discomfort of team members".
It is still unclear whether this is from illness sweeping through the team or other factors.
On Wednesday afternoon, just hours before Shandong were due to take on South Korea's Ulsan HD, the Asian Football Confederation confirmed the Chinese Super League outfit "did not intend to report" for the tie -- which led to them being "considered to have withdrawn" from the tournament.
"Due to the serious physical discomfort of team members, the medial team evaluated that the players were unable assemble a side to participate in the 8th [match day] of the AFC Champions League against Ulsan HD," read a brief statement on the club's official Weibo account.
"We deeply regret this and apologise to the AFC, Ulsan HD, the fans and all sectors of society."
The turn of events threatens to throw the competition into disarray given the league stage of the East Region was set to conclude on Wednesday, with Shandong originally only needing a draw to progress to the round of 16.
Instead, should all results involving Shandong be deemed null and void -- as is standard protocol with the AFC -- it would mean that the final standings in the East Region will involve an unequal number of matches played among the teams.
With 12 teams playing just eight games each in the new tournament format introduced this season, clubs that were not drawn to meet Shandong -- compatriots Shanghai Port and Shanghai Shenhua, as well as Thailand's Buriram United -- would all have played their full complement of matches.
Nonetheless, seven other teams would only have seven results on record.
This could lead to some crying foul over the perceived inequality -- should this be the final table -- be it due to missing out on qualification or an unfavourable draw in the last 16.
Still, the AFC are well within their rights to make such a decision given it is stated in the tournament's rules and regulations that results involving a team deemed to have withdrawn will automatically be voided.
Prior to Shandong's statement, various conspiracy theories had emerged on social media -- which are in linger in the absence of a more-detailed explanation.
One theory claimed locals had surrounded the hotel that Shandong were staying in and made a demonstration of a political nature, which understandably could have affected the condition of the players.
This could potentially tie in -- as a retaliatory gesture -- with another claim that it was related to Shandong's previous game against another Gwangju FC, where Chinese fans present at the match allegedly displayed photos of certain individuals of a sensitive nature to South Korean people -- including North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un.
It should not take long for some clarity to emerge, with the AFC set to confirm the ACL Elite's round of 16 lineup shortly after the conclusion of the league stage, which officially ends after Shanghai Port's meeting with Yokohama F. Marinos later on Wednesday evening.