A Chinese Super League match descended into a mass brawl involving players and coaching staff after tempers boiled over during stoppage time.
Dalian Yingbo and Beijing Guoan drew 1-1 in front of 62,529 fans at Suoyuwan Football Stadium in Dalian, China, on Friday (28 August).
The chaos began during stoppage time after Guoan’s Guilherme Ramos brought down Dalian midfielder Nicolae Stanciu, sparking a confrontation between the teams.
READ MORE: ‘My ex shot my dad to death – then I found out he was a serial killer’
Guoan substitute Fábio Abreu then became involved in the melee, with Dalian Yingbo translator Li Gang later found by the Chinese Football Professional League to have struck him in the face.
Li was shown a red card, as reported by Need To Know.
Moments later, Guoan substitute Dawhan ran onto the pitch and struck Dalian’s Bi Jinhao in the face.
The referee showed him a red card, with the subsequent disciplinary ruling finding that he had also struck Li Gang.
But the most extraordinary moment came amid the melee when Dalian assistant coach Marko Rudan allegedly put Guoan manager Nick Montgomery in a chokehold from behind, sending him to the ground.
Montgomery later said: “You might be able to see from the video that someone from the opposing coaching staff came over and put me in a chokehold. I could have fought back, but I didn’t and that action is very hard to accept.”
The extraordinary scenes came after an already tense match in which three Dalian goals were ruled out for offside.
Guoan had taken the lead through Zhang Yuning before Dalian’s Portuguese midfielder Pedro Delgado levelled with a spectacular strike.
The match ended 1-1, leaving both sides on 37 points, with Guoan remaining second in the table.
The fallout has already resulted in further punishment.
Rudan has been banned from entering stadiums for three matches and fined CNY 30,000 (£3,300), while Dawhan has received a six-match suspension and CNY 60,000 (£6,600) fine.
Li Gang has also been banned from entering stadiums for five matches and fined CNY 50,000 (£5,500).
Both clubs were formally reprimanded.
READ MORE: Woman hospitalised after ‘being made to do 200 squats’ over MISSED targets
