"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. (UNI)
