Shock development may see Lion City Sailors awarded first-leg win over Sanfrecce Hiroshima in Asian Champions League Two

SINGAPORE – The Lion City Sailors could get a chance to revive their Asian Champions League (ACL) Two campaign, following a shock development after their 6-1 quarter-final, first-leg defeat by Sanfrecce Hiroshima on March 5.

The Straits Times understands that Japan’s J1 League side Sanfrecce could be penalised for fielding an ineligible player for the match at the Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima stadium.

Checks by ST show that French forward Valere Germain, who came on as a substitute for Sanfrecce in the 69th minute and netted their fifth goal five minutes later, was supposed to be serving a three-match ban, which would have ruled him out of the match against the Sailors.

If the Japanese club are found guilty of fielding an ineligible player, this could lead to the first-leg result being annulled and the Sailors awarded a 3-0 win. The second leg will be played at the Jalan Besar Stadium on March 12.

ST understands that the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the continent’s governing body and organiser of the second-tier tournament, has been informed and is looking into the matter.

The Sailors, who compete in the Singapore Premier League (SPL), declined comment on March 7. ST has also contacted the AFC and Sanfrecce for a response.

The incident involving Germain occurred in February 2024, when the forward, who was then playing for Australian side Macarthur FC, was involved in post-match fracas after his team’s 3-2 loss to Central Coast Mariners in the Asean Zonal final of the AFC Cup.

The second-tier Cup competition has since been replaced by the ACL Two.

While he was not red carded then, retrospective action was taken by the AFC who, in March 2024, handed Germain a three-match suspension as well as a fine of US$1,000 (S$1,330), as it deemed that the Frenchman had “slapped a player from the opponent team”.

The AFC’s decision is detailed on the organisation’s website, and match video footage of Germain striking the opposition player is also available online.

Sydney-based club Macarthur did not qualify for AFC competition in the current season. The 34-year-old former AS Monaco and Marseille man joined Sanfrecce on a free transfer on Feb 27, before making his debut on March 5. As a result, Germain’s three-match ban should have been in effect for the first time in the quarter-final, first-leg game against the Sailors.

Clause 38.2.3 in the AFC’s disciplinary and ethics code states that suspensions are carried over “to the individual’s next official club match in a continental competition in the same category of football”. According to the rules, the match will be forfeited as a 3-0 loss if an ineligible player is fielded.

The disciplinary and ethics code also applies to ACL Two competitions.

There have been similar incidents involving clubs in AFC tournaments. In 2016, Al-Nasr of the United Arab Emirates’ 3-0 ACL quarter-final, first-leg victory over Qatar’s El Jaish was forfeited for fielding an ineligible player.

In the maiden ACL Two season, the Sailors have had a good campaign, before being outclassed by Sanfrecce in the first leg of their quarter-final.

The SPL side topped Group F ahead of Thai side Port FC, China’s Zhejiang FC and Indonesian outfit Persib Bandung, before they swept aside Thai team Muangthong United 7-2 on aggregate in the round of 16. They are the only South-east Asian side left in the tournament.