The club's chairman stepped down just hours after claiming his side would walk away from China's League One in a refereeing protest
Baoding Rongda's chairman has quit for "personal reasons" after the Chinese second division club made an abrupt U-turn on their threat to quit the competition following a controversial draw in their latest league match.
Meng Yongli stated his side's place in League One could be untenable in the wake of their 2-2 draw with Wuhan Zall on Saturday, a result that kept them bottom of the table after 16 matches.
But the club were yet to submit any documents to the Chinese Football Association — who had urged them "not to act on impulse and to reconsider their decision" — to begin the process of withdrawing from the competition when Rongda released a statement confirming their chief's exit, including an apology from Meng.