The Chinese Football Association (CFA) on Thursday condemned all violent acts on the football pitch, following a fracas during the Asian Champions League match between Zhejiang FC and Buriram United of Thailand.
Minutes after the conclusion of Zhejiang's 3-2 home victory over Buriram on Wednesday, numerous players and club officials from both teams were involved in a large-scale fight on the pitch. Each side published videos of the clashes on social media.
"The violence on the football pitch severely violated the sportsmanship, affected the order of the match, and made a bad impression on spectators. CFA strongly condemns all kinds of violent acts on the football pitch, and we will assist the Asian Football Confederation to deal with the conflict in accordance with regulations," the association said in a statement.
"CFA will strengthen the supervision of all clubs and stakeholders. All Chinese football teams should strictly obey regulations in the international and domestic competitions, and respect referees, spectators as well as opponents," the statement continued. (Xinhua)