Former Chelsea star, Oscar, has been hit with an eight-game ban after starting a mass brawl in a Chinese Super League (CSL) game.
The Brazilian sparked mayhem when he deliberately kicked the ball at two different opponents during Shanghai SIPG’s clash with Guangzhu R&F on Sunday.
Oscar was knocked to the floor by furious Guangzhou players before mayhem broke out between both squads and the coaching staff.
The referee took three minutes to restore order before showing red cards to Shanghai’s Fu Huan and Guangzhou’s Li Tixiang.
Oscar escaped punishment at the time, but the Chinese Football Association (CFA) have decided to come down hard on the former Chelsea star.
They even wrote to FIFA asking for advice on what punishment they could take, before handing out the suspension.
A CFA statement said: “Oscar’s immoral foul, which sparked a massive bust-up on the pitch, has had a huge negative impact on China’s professional football leagues.
“The CFA always attaches great importance to the issue of discipline, taking great pains to root out the violent fouls and other unsportsmanlike behaviour.
“Hopefully disciplinary offences would be severely punished by all clubs and efforts shall be made to maintain the order of the games and protect the development of football.”
The player did not attend the disciplinary hearing, although he was later pictured wearing a t-shirt with the message “nothing to do, nothing to say” written on it.
Oscar has struggled to produce his best form in China since making his £52million move from Stamford Bridge in January.
He has scored four goals in 21 appearances, and although he has also provided 10 assists, there are questions whether he is having the impact that had been expected.
Oscar made 131 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 21.
The 25-year-old won one Premier League (2015), one Football League Cup (2015) and one UEFA Europa League (2013) in four-and-a-half years at West London.
