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(Sports)Guangzhou Evergrande sanctioned for regulatory violation at AFC Champions League finals

Xinhua, February 3, 2016 Adjust font size:

Reigning Asian Champion Guangzhou Evergrande of China will have to start their campaign of the 2016 AFC Champions League (ACL) without support from the fans, according to an announcement by Asian Football Confederation on Wednesday.

The Chinese football club was ordered to hold the game behind closed doors, due to regulatory violations during the second leg of ACL finals in November.

AFC said Guangzhou Evergrande has been found guilty of a number of breaches of the AFC Champions League Regulations 2015 and Marketing and Media Regulations for AFC Club Competitions 2015.

The breaches included filming the opponent's closed training session, conducting an unauthorized post-match ceremony, infringing upon the commercial rights of AFC sponsors and numerous violations in relation to the organization of the second leg, including significant safety and security failures, said the Asian football governing body.

The AFC Disciplinary Committee fined Guangzhou Evergrande a total of 160,000 U.S. dollars. The Chinese Football Association also received a fine of 10,000 U.S. dollars.

Guangzhou Evergrande defeated Al Ahli from UAE at the second leg of ACL finals, winning their second Asian title in three years. Enditem