BG Tampines Rovers’ ACL2 hopes still alive after opponents stripped of first-leg win

SINGAPORE – BG Tampines Rovers have been awarded a 3-0 win for the first leg of their AFC Champions League Two round-of-16 tie, after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ruled on Feb 17 that their Vietnamese opponents Cong An Ha Noi had fielded ineligible players.

Cong An had clinched a 4-0 victory over the Singapore Premier League side at the Hang Day Stadium on Feb 11, but were found to have fielded two players who should have been suspended – Australian midfielder Stefan Mauk and Brazilian winger Rogerio Santos.

Due to the infringement, the result has been annulled. The Vietnamese side also received a US$2,000 (S$2,500) fine and forfeited half their US$80,000 participation fee.

The second leg will be played at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Feb 18, with the Stags’ chances of a quarter-final berth now boosted. AFC also clarified that Mauk and Santos are eligible for the second leg as they are deemed to have “served” their suspension.

On Feb 15, ST reported on the possibility of the first-leg result being overturned after checks found that the two players had accumulated three yellow cards in the group stage, hence triggering a one-match ban.

Under Article 59.1.1 of ACL2 regulations, if a participating player or a participating official receives a caution in three separate matches in the competition, the relevant individual is automatically suspended from the next match in the competition.

Match reports on the AFC website show that both players received their third yellow card of the tournament in their last group game, a 1-0 loss to Hong Kong’s Tai Po FC on Dec 11.

Mauk was also booked in their 2-1 defeat by Australia’s Macarthur FC and a 2-2 draw with Beijing FC of China, while Santos received yellow cards in their 2-1 win over Beijing and 3-0 win over Tai Po.

The latest administrative gaffe is similar to that committed by the Lion City Sailors’ last-eight opponents during the 2024-25 ACL2 campaign. 

Then, J-League outfit Sanfrecce Hiroshima secured a 6-1 victory over the Sailors in Hiroshima in the quarter-final, first leg but forfeited that match for fielding Valere Germain, who should have been serving a three-match ban. 

On March 12, 2025, the Sailors held 10-man Sanfrecce to a 1-1 draw in their quarter-final, second leg at the Jalan Besar Stadium and progressed to the last four with a 4-1 aggregate victory. 

The Sailors went on to reach the final, where they lost to Sharjah FC of the United Arab Emirates.