KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) and head coach Xisco Munoz have been fined a combined US$13,200 (RM58,000) by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) following their ill-tempered Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE) clash against Buriram United.
The penalties were handed down by the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee at its Nov 5 meeting, taking JDT’s total disciplinary fines for the 2026-2027 campaign to US$15,200 (RM66,800).
That figure includes an earlier US$2,000 (RM8,800) fine imposed on midfielder Eddy Israfilov for his straight red card in the same Sept 15 fixture.
JDT received the heaviest portion of the latest sanctions, with a US$9,450 (RM41,500) fine under Article 53.1 of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code for team misconduct after six of their players were booked during the match.
The committee noted that the incident was the club’s sixth violation within the recidivism period.
The Southern Tigers were also fined US$2,250 (RM9,900) under Article 15.2 of the AFC Competition Operations Manual after their team officials caused a two-minute delay to the start of the second half. It was JDT’s third countdown violation.
Munoz was separately fined US$1,500 (RM6,600) for failing to ensure his players completed their preparations and left the dressing room in accordance with the official countdown, resulting in the delay.
Buriram were handed an identical US$2,250 (RM9,100) fine for their part in the delayed restart, while head coach Mario Silva was fined US$1,500 (RM6,100).
JDT were not the only prominent Asian club to face disciplinary action, with the committee also imposing sanctions for a range of offences across the continent.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and defender Mohamed Simakan received combined fines of US$22,500 (RM99,000) after the Frenchman failed to attend a mandatory flash interview following their match against UAE side Al-Ain.
The committee fined Simakan US$10,000 (RM44,000) for failing to participate in the interview despite an AFC request, while Al-Nassr were ordered to pay US$12,500 (RM55,000) for failing to ensure the player fulfilled his post-match media obligations.
The heaviest punishment went to UAE side Al-Wasl, who were fined US$80,000 (RM352,000) after their home match against Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli descended into disorder.
According to the AFC’s match reports, home supporters threw at least 80 objects, including plastic cups containing water, water bottles and a signage board, onto the pitch and surrounding areas on several occasions.
Former Melbourne Victory manager Kevin Muscat and his Chinese Super League side Shanghai Port were also fined US$1,500 each after being found to have remained in the dressing room before their match against Thailand’s Ratchaburi.
All sanctioned clubs and individuals have been ordered to settle their fines within 30 days of receiving notification of the decisions, in accordance with Article 11.3 of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code.