East Asia China

Andre Villas-Boas fined for referee outburst

Shanghai SIPG head coach Andre Villas-Boas has been fined $14,000 by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for his criticism of referees in the AFC Champions League quarter-final.

Villas-Boas lashed out the referees with offensive words during the post-match conference following a win over Guangzhou Evergrande two weeks ago.

The 39-year-old Portuguese tactician accused the referees favoured Guangzhou during the two legs of the quarter-final and claimed the AFC were influenced by the powerful Chinese Super League rivals.

Shanghai SIPG will face J.League outfit Urawa Red Diamonds at Saitama Stadium in the first leg of semi-final on Monday before playing the return meeting on October 18.