As we all know, fierce clashes erupted between Chinese Super League powerhouse Zhejiang and Thai Super League giants Buriram United during the AFC Champions League group stage, and the incident quickly heated up and attracted widespread attention. Even though the clash has subsided for the time being, the confrontation between the two clubs and players on social media remains heated. In any case, neither side has shown any acceptance of each other's mistakes, with each convinced that the other triggered the on-field farce.
From a fan's point of view, we expect the match to be conducted in a fair manner and strongly condemn any form of on-field violence. As far as we know, the spark for the clash on the pitch after the match may have originated from the provocative behavior of the Thai team, which included some insulting remarks.
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) quickly made an official response to the incident, not only condemning the violence on the field of play, but also making it clear that it will fully cooperate with the AFC to carry out investigations. In fact, the statement of the Association conveyed two levels of information: on the one hand, on behalf of the Zhejiang team and the Chinese Super League to apologize to the AFC; on the other hand, actively trace the source of the conflict.
Standing in the position of the Zhejiang team, some Thai players spoke out of turn, and some players even made provocative moves. These highly provocative words and actions are undoubtedly the embodiment of losing. After the national soccer team's previous come-from-behind victory over Thailand on the road, this win in the AFC Champions League may have exacerbated the Thai team's anxiety.
It is foreseeable that both teams will face penalties from the AFC, especially those players and staff involved in the clash, with fines and suspensions inevitable. More crucially, Zhejiang's qualification for next season's AFC Champions League has been affected, which is another important reason for the FA's swift stance.
Next, I expect the Football Association to strengthen its communication with the AFC and, while condemning the violent behavior, to conduct an in-depth investigation into the full picture of the incident, to restore the truth of the incident and to deal seriously with the persons involved. More importantly, it is important to ensure that the Chinese Super League's qualification for the AFC Champions League will not be affected and that the Thai team will not be allowed to succeed in their plot.
