Shanghai Port defender Wei Zhen has issued a written apology to his teammates after he was sent off in an AFC Champions League Elite game against Gwangju FC on Tuesday.
Wei was shown a red card in the 56th minute following a VAR check found him having kicked an opposition player on the head.
"I apologize for the red card to you all," Wei wrote on social media. "I also want to express my thanks to my teammates who fought hard on the pitch."
He insisted that he had kicked the Gwangju player inadvertently as he was well aware of the consequences of a head injury.
"I suffered head injury several times, and the most serious one happened in 2019. I then lost consciousness and was sent to the ICU receive treatment," he wrote.
"As a player, I will never harm an opposition player on purpose," the Shanghai Port player added.
The Shanghai side drew 1-1 with Gwangju FC at home thanks to the equalizer scored by Oscar from the spot in the 74th minute.