Chinanews.com, Beijing, December 12 (Reporter Xing Rui) On the evening of November 1, the Chinese Football Association released the "Notice of the Chinese Football Association on the Post-match Conflict between Zhejiang Team and Thailand's Buriram United in the Fifth Round of the 11-30 AFC Champions League Group Stage" (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice") on its official website. The Chinese Football Association said it would assist the AFC in handling the conflict in accordance with regulations.

Image source: Chinese Football Association website.

There was a large-scale clash between the two teams

On November 11, the fifth round of the group stage of the 29-2023 AFC Champions League between Zhejiang and Thailand's Buriram United was played at the Huzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, and Zhejiang defeated Buriram United with a score of 2024:3. According to the Football Association's "Circular", a large-scale clash between the two teams occurred after the game, which aroused widespread concern in the society.

Judging from the live video, after the game that day, the Zhejiang team players were shaking hands with the referee team, and suddenly several Buriram United players surrounded the two Zhejiang team players. Subsequently, the two sides began to push and shove. Seeing this, the players who were about to leave the field and the players sitting on the bench also rushed to join the clashes, and a number of Buriram United players and Zhejiang players scuffled together, and the two sides exchanged fists and kicks.

There is also a very controversial scene in the video. As both sides pushed, a Buriram United player wearing the number 10 jersey locked a Zhejiang player with his elbow from behind. This behavior angered the Zhejiang team players, and the other party was also besieged by many Zhejiang team players.

The conflict continues to simmer

The number 10 shirt in the video is Buriram United's foreign player and Azerbaijani player Ramil Sheidaev. After the clash, he also posted on his personal social media @zhejiangteam, and wrote: "I'm still here, send the location over." "The accompanying picture is a picture of him in the midst of a conflict. However, the post was deleted at the time of writing.

Screenshot of Buriram United's social media.

Buriram United's official social media wrote: "Is this the AFC Champions League? To kick a ball or to fight? ”

The exact causes of this conflict are not yet known. However, some fans said on social media that the conflict was caused by Buriram United's dissatisfaction with the loss and insulting the Zhejiang team players with insulting language. There are also multiple photos of Buriram United players making insulting gestures to Chinese players on the Internet.

Chinese Football Association: Strongly oppose violence on the field

The Chinese Football Association wrote in the "Bulletin": "The stadium conflict seriously violates the spirit of sportsmanship, affecting the normal order of the stadium and the fans' viewing experience. The Chinese Football Association strongly opposes all forms of on-pitch violence and will assist the AFC in handling this conflict in accordance with regulations. ”

It is worth mentioning that Thai football has also been punished by the AFC for violence on the pitch before. In the first half of this year, in the final of the football event of the Southeast Asian Games, the Thai team clashed with the Indonesian team. The Thai Football Association later publicly apologized and punished a number of players. After that, the AFC punished the players of both teams.

In response to this AFC Champions League conflict, the AFC will most likely issue a fine. For Zhejiang, a home win over Buriram United also kept their hopes of qualifying. However, this post-game conflict also cast a shadow on the Zhejiang team's subsequent games. (ENDS)