Evergrande brawlers banned

Two Guangzhou Evergrande players have been fined and suspended for fighting each other during a reserve-team match on Monday, the Chinese Super League club announced on Tuesday.

Wang Junhui and Situ Hualong were banned for one match and fined 200,000 yuan (about $31,700). In addition, the pair are not allowed to transfer or loan within their contract periods, with their monthly salary cut down to the club minimum－1,895 yuan.

After initially becoming involved in a verbal squabble during a break in play, the pair began exchanging blows in the 35th minute of a match against Shandong Luneng.

The altercation interrupted the game for seven minutes, with the referee ultimately sending off Wang and showing Situ a yellow card.

Evergrande's coaches have also been fined.

It's the second time this season Evergrande has had to discipline a player for violent behaviour after Brazilian first-team star Alan Carvalho was fined 100,000 yuan for elbowing Tianjin Quanjian's Liu Yiming at the end of a CSL game on March 30.

"Evergrande players have to lead by example with discipline and respect for the referees, the opponents and teammates. Anyone who violates these rules is going to pay a price," the club said in a statement.

Other CSL have also had to deal with similar discilpinary issues in recent seasons.

Last June, Shanghai SIPG's former Chelsea midfielder Oscar was suspended for eight games and fined by the Chinese Football Association for inciting a mass brawl in a match against Guangzhou R&F.

Shandong Luneng's Brazilian coach Cuca received a seven-month touchline ban after clashing with linesman Zhan Wei during a CSL match against Guizhou Renhe on June 4.

Seven-time defending champion Evergrande, which is coached by Italian World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro, currently sits second in the CSL after five games, three points back of SIPG.

Xinhua