Shanghai (AFP) – Shanghai SIPG coach Andre Villas-Boas has been fined $14,000 over his “offensive” comments during the AFC Champions League quarter-finals, the Asian Football Confederation said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese coach, who will be on the bench for Wednesday’s semi-final first leg at home against Urawa Red Diamonds, brought the game into disrepute, the AFC ruled.
The former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager made a series of stinging criticisms about the AFC and the referee following a thrilling quarter-final return leg at Guangzhou Evergrande earlier this month.
Villas-Boas also accused the home side of staging a series of minor car accidents on the way to the match at the two-time Champions League winners.
Evergrande have declined to comment on the allegation, but the AFC said in a statement that its disciplinary and ethics committee had decided to fine him “for his offensive words at the referee and comments made at the post-match press conference”.
“The fine of $14,000 is for a first-time violation and a repeat infringement will lead to a more severe punishment,” it warned.
Evergrande won 5-1 on the night, making it 5-5 on aggregate, before Villas-Boas’ side shaded it 5-4 on penalties to set up a last-four showdown with Urawa Reds.
Villas-Boas was delighted to steer SIPG into the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time, but furious at a series of perceived injustices.
As well as sending off two SIPG players in extra time, Iranian referee Alireza Faghani also booked their goalkeeper Yan Junling during the penalty shoot-out, which will rule him out for the first leg of the semi-final.
“It’s a disgrace, it’s a disgrace,” Villas-Boas exclaimed of the yellow card dished out to Yan, while also saying that Evergrande “is dominating the AFC because this club can do everything.
“They can block hotels, cause people to have accidents in front of us.”
The AFC separately fined Guangzhou $15,000 after the club “failed to attend and fully participate in an official event” during the first leg in Shanghai. It was not immediately clear what event the AFC was referring to.
