'Kanghee the Great' Chinese club Shandong Taishan midfielder Peng Xinli, led by head coach Choi Kang-hee, was severely punished for insulting the referee.
The Chinese Football Association announced on the 6th (Korea time) that it will impose a five-game suspension and a fine of 50,000 yuan (about 10 million won) on Feng Xingli in accordance with Articles 56 and 17 of the disciplinary ethics regulations of the Chinese Professional Football Federation. The federation will deal firmly and sternly with all violations of regulations and discipline to purify the atmosphere of the stadium. 'We hope that all parties involved will maintain order of play together and maintain the environment of soccer development that has been built up hard.'"
According to the 2025 Chinese Super League Round 16 referee report and match supervisor report by Shandong and Henan on the 30th of last month, Feng Xinli, who replaced Guillermi Madruga in the 5th minute of extra time in the second half, used offensive words to the referee when the referee declared Shandong's foul in a backcourt situation. The referee pulled out the red card in accordance with the regulations.
Shandong led 2-0 in the 6th and 32nd minutes 'former Pohang striker'Zecca's consecutive goals, but dedicated a chase and equalizer to Felipe Cardoju in the 5th and 40th minutes of the second half. In this situation, even Peng Shin-ri left and lost his will to chase. The match ended in a 2-2 draw. Shandong stayed in fifth place.
The Chinese portal 'Sohu Dotcom' was the absolute mainstay of Taishan at the beginning of the season, but the playing time decreased as the season progressed. Taishan currently has abundant midfielders, so the suspension is unlikely to have a significant impact on him,' he said, adding, `The most important thing for Shandong is to resolve Shandong coach Choi Kang-hee's contract issues.'
According to recent Chinese media reports, Shandong's relationship with Choi has recently started to deteriorate. There were also reports that he lost contact with Choi, who reportedly visited South Korea on vacation during the break. Zheng Zhi, the former head coach of the Chinese national team, was also mentioned as a strong candidate for Shandong's next head coach. Coach Choi has been leading the team for the second year by taking the helm of Shandong in 2023.
Meanwhile, some are linking the Punxin-ri disciplinary case to match fixing. According to the `Sohoo Dotcom', an audience member was seen talking to someone on the phone before Peng Xin-ri was replaced. After that, Peng Shin-ri was sent off two minutes into the substitution. It is still in the shadow of the "Jinjingdao Incident" involving many players and coaches, including Guo Tianyu, Hao Wei, and Son Joon-ho. In the same vein, the team is still under enormous public pressure, and any confusion could escalate. The rapid spread of the 'phone gate' incident was due to the team's sensitive time, he said.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
