Villas-Boas fined for AFC League blast

Shanghai: Shanghai SIPG coach Andre Villas-Boas escaped a touchline ban and was instead fined $14,000 (Dh51,430) on Tuesday over his “offensive” comments during the AFC Champions League quarter-finals, the Asian Football Confederation said.

The Portuguese brought the game into disrepute, the AFC ruled, but stopped short of banning him for Wednesday’s semi-final first leg at home against Urawa Red Diamonds.

The former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager made a series of stinging criticism about the AFC and the referee following a thrilling quarter-final return leg at Guangzhou Evergrande earlier this month.

Evergrande have declined to comment on the allegation, but the AFC said in a statement that its disciplinary and ethics committee had decided to fine him “for his offensive words at the referee and comments made at the post-match press conference”.