Guangzhou Evergrande sanctioned by AFC

Guangzhou Evergrande, the professional Chinese football club, will have to start their campaign of the 2016 AFC Champions League (ACL) where spectators are not allowed in the stadium to watch, according to an announcement by Asian Football Confederation on Wednesday.

The Chinese football club was ordered to play its first match in the 2016 season behind closed doors, due to regulatory violations during the second leg of ACL finals last November.

AFC said Guangzhou Evergrande has been found guilty of a number of breaches of the AFC Champions League Regulations 2015 and Marketing and Media Regulations for AFC Club Competitions 2015.

The breaches included filming the opponent's closed training session, conducting an unauthorized post-match ceremony, infringing upon the commercial rights of AFC sponsors and numerous violations in relation to the organization of the second leg, including significant safety and security failures, said the Asian football governing body.

The AFC Disciplinary Committee fined Guangzhou Evergrande a total of 160,000 U.S. dollars. The Chinese Football Association also received a fine of 10,000 U.S. dollars.

Last Novermber, Guangzhou Evergrande defeated Al Ahli from UAE at the second leg of ACL finals, winning their second Asian title in three years. 

Source: Xinhua & AFC