AFC imposes heavy fines on Thai and Chinese clubs involved in brawl

Three players from Thai club Buriram United, along with three players and two staff from Zhejiang FC, were heavily fined by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) after a brawl between the two teams on November 29.

Leon James (white shirt) was beaten up after colliding with Yao Junsheng (black shirt, middle). Photo: AFP — Leon James (white shirt) was beaten up after colliding with Yao Junsheng (black shirt, middle). Photo: *AFP*

According to the newly announced AFC disciplinary decision, three Buriram members were punished, including Azerbaijani striker Ramil Sheydayev with an eight-match suspension, while midfielder Leon James and central defender Chitipat Tanklang were each banned for six matches. On the Zhejiang side, Yao Junsheng was banned for eight matches, while Gao Di, Leonardo de Souza and two staff members were banned for six matches. The sanctions are effective within the scope of the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup.

The fight broke out after the home team Zhejiang beat Buriram 3-2 in the fifth round of Group H of the 2023-2024 AFC Champions League on November 29. From the initial scuffle between James and Yao, many members of the two teams rushed to fight. It took the security forces at Huzhou Stadium about a minute to separate the two teams.

Thai and Chinese clubs clash in AFC Champions League — The fight between Zhejiang and Buriram on November 29.

James and Yao were identified as the cause of the brawl. After the match, Leon James approached Yao in the middle of the field and exchanged words. The Thai player was slapped in the face by Yao, then beaten by many Zhejiang players. Shaydayev jumped in and grabbed Yao's neck, pulled him away, then wrestled with another Zhejiang player and continued to be the target of the group beating.

Buriam president Newin Chidchob said Zhejiang had initiated the attack and Buriram players were only trying to defend themselves. However, the Thai club accepted the AFC's decision. "The penalty is a valuable and painful lesson for the whole team," Newin said. "We must find a way to prevent this from happening again in the future."

Ramil Shaydayev (white shirt) wrestles with Zhejiang FC player. Photo: AFP

The defeat left Buriram behind Zhejiang, who have six points after five matches. Meanwhile, the two teams above them, Ventforet Kofu and Melbourne City, have eight points. In the final match on December 12, Zhejiang will visit Melbourne, while Buriram will host Ventforet Kofu at home. The Thai team must beat the Japanese club to have a chance to advance to the knockout round.

This is the second time this year that Thai football has been involved in a brawl at the international level. Previously, Thailand fought with Indonesia in the final of the 32nd SEA Games on May 16. The incident resulted in seven Indonesian and seven Thai members being banned from duty by the AFC, playing six matches and being fined at least 1,000 USD (about 24 million VND).

Hieu Luong

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