- Andre Villas-Boas could watch Shanghai SIPG from the stands on Wednesday
- SIPG face Urawa Red Diamonds in the Asian Champions League semi-final
- While manager Villas-Boas is facing disciplinary action for referee criticisms
- The boss felt a referee wrongly ignored a deliberate elbow in SIPG’s quarter-final
Andre Villas-Boas’ fractious relationship with Asia’s football authorities continues to heat up as he faces the prospect of watching his Shanghai SIPG side from the stands on Wednesday.
SIPG take on Urawa Red Diamonds in the Asian Champions League semi-final, while the Portuguese coach is currently under investigation by the Asian Football Confederation’s disciplinary committee.
The investigation follows his outburst in the aftermath of SIPG’s dramatic quarter-final win over fellow Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande.
Former Chelsea boss Andre-Villas Boas has again collided with Asian football authorities
SIPG squandered a 4-0 first-leg advantage earlier in September before defeating the two-time Asian champions in a penalty shootout.
Despite qualifying for the last four, Villas-Boas slammed the AFC over the standard of officiating across the two matches and what he viewed as preferential treatment for Guangzhou.
‘Zhang Linpeng should be suspended from this game because he used his elbow in the first game and he’s not suspended because the committee of ethics and discipline at AFC did not judge an elbow as violent conduct,’ said Villas-Boas.
‘This is the greatest achievement for SIPG ever because it’s against a club that is dominating the AFC.’
If Villas-Boas is to be punished, the sanction slammed on the former Chelsea and Tottenham boss will be made ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Urawa at the Saitama Stadium outside Tokyo.
The Portuguese manager criticised a referee from the Asian Champions League quarter-final
But it’s not Villas-Boas’ first collisions with Asian football authorities, having been in trouble throughout his first season.
He served a two-game ban in the CSL earlier this year for questioning the eight-match suspension handed down to SIPG’s Oscar, while on Friday he was sent to the stands for repeatedly questioning refereeing decisions as his side defeated Beijing Guoan to close the gap on leaders Guangzhou.
SIPG are playing in their first ACL semi-final, having lost in last year’s quarters under Sven-Goran Eriksson.
They take on a Urawa side that last won the continental title 10 years ago, while the return leg will be staged at Shanghai Stadium on October 18, with the winners facing either Iran’s Persepolis or Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia in November’s final.