Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, who were to play Kaizer Chiefs on July 19 in the World Peace King Cup in Busan, have withdrawn from the tournament amid fears of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Leverkusen and Italian side AS Roma, who were drawn in Group B along with PSV Eindhoven (Holland), LA Galaxy (USA) and Sao Paolo (Brazil), have pulled out of the World Peace Cup, an eight-team team tournament that takes place in Korea Republic in July to promote "peace and harmony beyond ideology and notion".

According to the World Peace Cup official website, the German and Italian clubs have withdrawn from the tournament because of fears of SARS.

The organisers are confident that replacements will be found in time for this event. 1860 Munich from Germany and Portuguese side FC Porto have shown interest in coming on board.

The tournament, which will carry the message of world peace while raising funds for impoverished countries, takes place from July 15 until July 22 and will be staged at six World Cup venues.

Chiefs kick-off their Peace Cup campaign on July 15 against French club Lyon at Daejeon and then South Korean giants Seongnam in Suwon on July 17. Their last group stage fixture was against Levekusen on July 19.

The World Peace King Cup is expected to make an announcement in the next few days about possible replacements and other changes, if any, in the competition.

Group A


Seongnam Ilhwa


Besiktas


Kaizer Chiefs


Olympic Lyonnais

Group B


1860 Munich


PSV Eindhoven


LA Galaxy


Sao Paolo