Chinese football season climax marred by brawls, red cards, raging players as Shanghai Port clinch Super League title
- Four players and Port coach Javier Pereira sent off as Chinese Super League title decider hits boiling point
- Port and main rivals Shandong Taishan await potential ramifications after both were reduced to nine men
Chinese Super League heavyweights Shanghai Port and Shandong Taishan were awaiting potential sanctions from the country’s football authorities on Monday after a powderkeg climax to the title race.
The biggest game of the campaign on Sunday finished in a 1-1 draw, clinching the championship for hosts Shanghai.
But the contest descended into chaos, with referee Mametjan Ahmet issuing five red cards, one of them for combustible Port manager Javier Pereira, amid volatile scenes – including a brawl – at a seething Pudong Football Stadium.
Spaniard Pereira’s team had been threatening an implosion, suffering four defeats from seven games to toss away a near-impregnable position at the top.
The pressure told on Sunday, when they hosted closest pursuers Shandong, who also lost their heads as they chased their championship dream.
