ACL champs banned from 2017 competition

Jan 18, 2017 - 1:18 PM Asian Champions League winners Jeonbuk Motors of South Korea will be unable to defend their title over their involvement in a 2013 bribery scandal.

Jeonbuk, who knocked out Melbourne Victory 3-2 on aggregate in last year's round of 16, were docked nine points and fined $US91,000 by the K League's disciplinary committee in September for payments a club scout made to referees.

The club, who finished second in last season's K League Classic, were crowned champions of Asia in November after sealing a 3-2 aggregate victory over United Arab Emirates team Al Ain.

"... Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors is ineligible to participate in AFC competitions for the 2017 season due to its indirect involvement in activities aimed at arranging or influencing the outcome of matches during the 2013 and 2014 K-League seasons," the AFC said in a statement.

"Such indirect involvement was found to be in contravention of Article 11.8 of the Entry Manual for the AFC Club Competitions 2017-2020.

"As such, Jeonbuk... was deemed not to have met the sporting criteria to participate in the AFC Champions League 2017."

In May, prosecutors charged two referees in South Korea's top league with accepting bribes totalling $US4,300 from a Jeonbuk Motors club scout.

The scout was sentenced to a six-month suspended jail term for bribery by the Busan District Court.

Korea's Jeju United FC will take Jeonbuk's place in Group H while Ulsan Hyundai will replace Jeju in the playoffs for the 2017 AFC Champions League.

Source: AAP