Shanghai Port player Cai apologized for improper remarks

Shanghai Port midfielder Cai Huikang has extended a public apology for the remarks he made after his team lost to Thailand's BG Pathum United in an AFC Champions League playoff at home on Tuesday.

"I apologize to our fans for what I said and wrote. Sorry for making your life harder on a sad day," Cai said.

"The players and the coaching staff were very disappointed and sad at the loss. I was then gripped by rashness and anger," he said.

Following the 3-2 defeat, which prevented Shanghai from advancing to the AFC Champions League group stage, a significant number of home fans turned their backs on the Shanghai team, expressing their frustration.

"My son asked me why they turned their back on us. I told him a white lie. I said, 'they were probably checking which bulb above has burnt out,'" he remarked on social media after the game.

His statements sparked criticism among Shanghai fans. A notable fan group accused him of being deceptive.

"When you made such bulb remarks to protect your super-man image before your child, you ruined your super-man image in the eyes of those children in the stands," the fan group posted on social media.