On May 9, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) announced penalties for disciplinary actions that occurred during a home game of Ganzhou RuiLion in the Central B League. During the match against Guangdong Guangzhou Leopards on May 5, RuiLion club official Xu Jining committed unsportsmanlike conduct and shouted insults at the referee in the 90th+1st minute of the match. As a punishment, Xu Jining will be banned from the match stadium for five matches and fined RMB 25,000 yuan. This decision to penalize is based on the CFA's principles for maintaining order in matches and respecting referees. The CFA stated that any form of verbal abuse and inappropriate behavior will be severely punished in order to maintain the fairness of the game and the spirit of sportsmanship.
Ganzhou Rui Lions FC, as a team in the Chinese League B, should set an example by abiding by the rules of the game and the code of conduct, and respecting the referees and opponents. Xu Jining's behavior is a serious violation of these basic principles and his punishment is necessary. The CFA hopes that this punishment will send a clear signal to all those involved in Chinese soccer that any form of indiscipline will be punished. Rui Shi FC must take responsibility for the behavior of its officials and take steps to ensure that similar incidents do not occur again. The CFA will continue to strengthen its supervision and management of leagues at all levels to ensure fairness and order in matches. At the same time, the CFA calls on all clubs, players and officials to work together to contribute to the development of soccer in China.
