Shanghai Shenhua midfielder Qin Sheng lodges appeal against six-month ban for Axel Witsel stamp
Gus Poyet’s side also make complaint against the result of Sunday’s 2-1 defeat by Beijing Guoan in the Chinese Super League
Shanghai Shenhua midfielder Qin Sheng has lodged an appeal against his six-month ban for stamping on Belgium’s Axel Witsel, while the Chinese Super League club have also made the somewhat surprising move to challenge the result of the weekend’s defeat by Beijing Guoan.
Qin was hit with the hefty spell on the sidelines as well as fined ¥120,000 (HK$135,000) by the Chinese Football Association (CFA) last month after the midfielder was sent off in the first half of Shenhua’s 1-1 draw with Tianjin Quanjian.
“If Qin Sheng’s foul is violent, then the management of CFA and the execution of [referee] Ma Ning are both violent!” said a statement from Shenhua, who also fined Qin ¥300,000 and also threatened to force the 30-year-old to see out the remainder of his contract in the reserves as the action drew widespread criticism.
Qin claims his treatment is too severe and not based on the rules of the CFA, which state that a player who acts violently against an opponent during a match will be banned for at least three matches and fined ¥15,000, while fouls leading to injuries will incur a five-match ban and ¥25,000 financial penalty.
Watch: Qin Sheng’s stamp on Axel Witsel
¡COMO SI FUERA UN NENE!#TevezxFOX | Insólita expulsión de Qin Sheng en un ¡córner a favor! y generó el fastidio de Carlitos... pic.twitter.com/EJAxorML58— FOX Sports Argentina (@FOXSportsArg) March 11, 2017
Shenhua’s comment regarding referee Ma Ning refer to Sunday’s 2-1 away defeat by Beijing, which condemned Gus Poyet’s side to a first defeat of the new season, with the club pointing to three key incidents in the match at the Workers’ Stadium.
