Shanghai Shenhua, which currently sit in sixth position in the CSL at the mid-season break, cited concerns about the quality of squad it can bring to Australia with of five players called up for nationl team duties in July.

Sydney FC CEO Stefan Kamasz said, "This is really disappointing for the coach and players because it was to have been an important part of our pre-season build up leading into the season proper.

"We will now have to take steps to identify suitable opponents for our final pre-season match, which will be difficult given the short lead time."