September 15 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has opened disciplinary proceedings against Shanghai SIPG head coach Andre Villas-Boas following his outburst after this week’s epic Asian Champions League quarterfinal tie against Evergrande.
\Evergrande won 5-1 on the night in Guangzhou after extra time, 5-5 on aggregate, only for SIPG to squeeze into the last four for the first time in their history on penalties.
Afterwards Villas Boas, who managed both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, blasted the AFC and the referee, claiming two-time champions Evergrande were receiving preferential treatment. He also accused Evergrande of dirty tricks including engineering a series of minor road accidents to delay the SIPG team bus as it travelled to the second-leg away clash.
Villas-Boas has already fallen foul of the authorities this season having been handed a two-game ban in the Chinese Super League for questioning an eight-game suspension handed to SIPG’s Oscar.
“We can confirm that as a result of comments by Shanghai SIPG FC head coach at the post-match press conference… the AFC has opened disciplinary proceedings based on Article 50.1 of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code (bringing the game into disrepute),” the AFC said in a statement. “The case will be dealt with by the AFC Disciplinary & Ethics Committee on a date to be confirmed.”
Video footage posted online, apparently shot from the SIPG team coach on the way to the game, appeared to show a succession of five holds-ups on the road involving the same cars. Villas-Boas also hit out at the AFC for failing to punish an opposing player from the first leg, and criticised Iranian referee Alireza Faghani, who sent off two SIPG players in extra time.
Shanghai may have got through to meet Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds but Villas-Boas was seething. “This is the greatest achievement for SIPG ever because it’s against a club that is dominating the AFC. This club (Evergrande) can do everything – they can cause accidents in front of us, they have players who can elbow and not be suspended – and yet we won. It’s a disgrace.”
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