Guangzhou Evergrande may face fine from AFC

Guangzhou Evergrande are still under a cloud regarding their change of shirt sponsor for the final match of the AFC Champions League last Saturday. Its sponsoring partner, Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company, who paid more than 100 million yuan (US$15.66 million) for the team's shirt sponsorship announced, in a recent post, that they have started legal proceedings against the club. 

Chinese media say that the soccer club may face a fine from the Asian Football Confederation, though there has been no official response from the organization up to now. After consulting official AFC rules, Yutang Sports finds that Guangzhou Evergrande may have violated the AFC Equipment Regulations 2014 and the AFC Statutes 2015. According to the rules, a competing club may advertise only one sponsor on the shirt of their Playing Equipment. A change of sponsor may be allowed if the Club submits a written request to the AFC at least seven working days before the relevant Match day. 

Reading through the List of AFC Disciplinary Committee decisions on 27 March 2015, Persepolis (IRN) was ordered to pay a fine of USD 10,000, for violating the rules of sponsor advertising on their shirts. But Evergrande’s case is different, so the fate of the Chinese soccer club is still open to conjecture. 

‍‍Source: Hupu & AFC‍‍

‍‍Proofread by John Devlin‍‍‍‍‍‍