Chinese Giants Guangzhou Evergrande Fine Staff For Fixing Kit With Tape

Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande docked the pay of five backroom staff for "damaging the club brand" after star defender Zhang Linpeng was forced to wear another player's shirt with the name and number covered by yellow tape.

The incident happened during the first half of Tuesday's Asian Champions League last 16 first leg at Chinese rivals Tianjin Quanjian, after match officials told Zhang, Evergrande's number five, to change his shirt because it had blood on it. Evergrande staff were unable to immediately rustle up a replacement '5' jersey, so they gave the centre back substitute Zhang Wenzhao's '15' shirt with yellow tape over the '1' and Zhang Wenzhao's name.

However, while the Chinese international Zhang Linpeng changed into the correct shirt a short time later, the club issued a statement hitting out at their "lack of sense of responsibility" over the makeshift solution and fined five backroom staff members because of the makeshift shirt.

"The team's kit management has made major mistakes and has seriously damaged the club's brand," said the club, who nullified the threat of Tianjin's forward pairing of Anthony Modeste and Alexandre Pato to earn a useful 0-0 away draw.

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