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Even losing in a must-win playoff couldn’t bring Persipura Jayapura’s Asian Champions League saga to a close.

Days after the final whistle blew in Adelaide United’s 3-0 win over the Papuan club at Hindmarsh Stadium, a new revelation could see the Australian side disqualified and throw Asia’s top club competition into more chaos.

Reports emerged on Tuesday that Adelaide defender Cassio Oliveira may have been ineligible for the playoff in Adelaide on Feb. 16. The 32-year-old Brazilian was sent off in the 2010 Champions League when Adelaide lost 3-2 to South Korea’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the last 16.

Cassio did not serve his suspension during last season’s Champions League as Adelaide was not in the competition.

Asian Football Confederation regulations state that, “A player and/or official who received a red card during the Competition shall automatically be suspended from the match following the match in which he received the red card. If the player and/or official received the red card in his Club’s last match in the Competition, the suspension for the red card will be carried forward as indicated in the AFC Disciplinary Code.”

AFC rules also state that a club using an ineligible player forfeits the match and its opponent receives a 3-0 victory.

A similar case arose in last year’s Champions League, when Al Sadd of Qatar faced Sepahan of Iran in the quarterfinals. Sepahan fielded goalkeeper Rahman Ahmadi, who was ineligible as he had not served his suspension from 2010 while with Persepolis. Sepahan’s 1-0 first-leg win was changed to a 3-0 victory for Al Sadd.

Persipura secretary general Thamrin Sagala said the club had sent a letter to the AFC asking it to investigate the matter.

“We trust the integrity of the AFC and believe it will decide the matter in accordance with the rule of law,” he said on Tuesday.

Asked why the club did not lodge a protest before the playoff, Thamrin said the club failed to thoroughly check the eligibility of Adelaide’s players. “I have to admit that we only knew this after reading the news on an Australian Web site,” he said.

Adelaide newspaper The Advertiser reported that the AFC’s match commissioner cleared all the players, including Cassio, for last week’s qualifier.

Football Federation Australia, in a statement to the newspaper, said it would fight to keep Adelaide in the Champions League group stage.

“FFA is aware of the situation. However, at first glance the issue is not as clear-cut as it might appear,” the statement read. “We will continue to support and work alongside Adelaide United to ensure its entry into the 2012 AFC Champions League.”

The possible forfeit was just the latest twist in Persipura’s tale. The playoff only went ahead after the Court of Arbitration for Sport provisionally reinstated the Black Pearls earlier this month.

Persipura, which won the 2010-11 Indonesian Super League while it was still the official competition, was kept out of the Champions League draw by the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) for refusing a request to join the Indonesian Premier League.

Even if Adelaide’s victory is forfeited, Persipura must wait for a final ruling from the CAS, which is expected on March 6, to be sure of its berth. A verdict against the club would still keep it out of the Champions League. Group play is scheduled to start on March 6.