Five Chinese football players have been banned for eight games up to one year for brawling on the pitch during a domestic third-division league game, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) said on Friday.
The game between Yanbian Longding and Sichuan Minzu on Wednesday was interrupted in the 60th minute when a group fight broke out. As a result, the referee had to dismiss four players with straight red cards before the match could resume.Li Yiying of Yanbian Longding was handed a one-year ban and fined 80,000 yuan (Sh1.25 million).
His team-mate Liu Bo was suspended for eight months and fined 60,000 yuan, while Wu Qingsong received a relatively lenient punishment, an eight-game ban and a 20,000-yuan fine.
He Quan of Sichuan Minzu was banned for six months with a fine of 40,000 yuan. His team-mate Liu Jiqiang was suspended for 10 games and fined 30,000 yuan. The two clubs were fined 120,000 yuan each. The CFA said in a notice that any violations of the CFA disciplinary code will be punished strictly.
