Guangzhou Evergrande slap captain Zheng Zhi with ¥100,000 fine ahead of Super League ruling

Defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande face disciplinary action despite handing down an internal punishment to captain Zheng Zhi following their defeat by Tianjin Quanjian in the Chinese Super League over the weekend.

The Chinese international was fined 100,000 yuan (HK$114,900) after a club statement said the midfielder “failed to meet the high standard required by the club management to perform a leading role”.

The Guangzhou club said they conducted an investigation after the team returned from Tianjin where they lost 4-3 to their hosts – their second defeat of the season after 15 games and the first time they conceded four goals in the league since 2011.

According to league rules, the captain is required to gather his players and shake hands with the match officials at the completion of the match, but none of the Guangzhou players performed the handshake after the match, although they did shake hands with the Tianjin players.

As well as the fine, Zheng was also openly criticised by the club for his behaviour while team manager Chen Guanning had his salary cut.

Guangzhou are still heading the table after the defeat but arch-rivals Shanghai SIPG are now only one point behind.

In May, Roger Martinez of Jiangsu Suning was banned for one match and fined 5,000 yuan by the Chinese Football Association after refusing to shake hand with the referees at the completion of their league match against Guangzhou.

The governing body is expected to announce shortly if Guangzhou will receive a punishment.