Zhejiang FC, a member of the Chinese Super League, beat Thai team Buriram United 3-2 in the fifth preliminary match of Group H of the 2023-24 AFC Asian Champions League held at the Huzhou Olympic Sports Center in China on April 29. Buriram 2 wins, 3 losses, +0 came in third, while Zhejiang 2 wins, 3 losses, -4 came in fourth. 스포츠토토핫
Problems occurred after the match. Buriram fell down after being hit by a Chinese player. Angered by this, Buriram’s Azerbaijani striker Ramil Sheidayev rushed to Zhejiang midfielder Zhang Ziaqi. Then, Chinese players beat Sheidayev en masse. As Buriram players got tangled up, the field quickly turned into a fighting field.
Eventually, players who intervened in the violent incident were given disciplinary action. The Asian Football Confederation announced on Wednesday that it will ban players from participating in eight matches including Yao Jun-sung and Leonardo. Buriram’s Shadeyev will also ban players from participating in eight matches.
In addition, Team Zhejiang player Dong Yu-jun and Tactical Analysis Team Wang Ji-an were banned from six games. Zhejiang was fined $10,000. Buriram also failed to avoid disciplinary action. Leon James and Chidiva were banned from six games each. Buriram was also fined $10,000.
Chinese media argue that AFC’s disciplinary action is unfair. This is because the Thai player provided the cause of the fight first.
The AFC has imposed heavy fines and ban on players in Zhejiang Province. Such heavy punishment is rare in the AFC’s history. If the AFC fails to advance to the Asian Champions League, the players’ fate could change,” said the sports official.
What’s surprising is that the Thai player Matan, who provided the cause of the conflict, avoided disciplinary action. He caused the conflict by swearing at Chinese players in English. The AFC Disciplinary Committee used the video as evidence, but failed to discipline Matan because it failed to find any evidence of abusive language, he said.