主题：【文摘】贝利预言亚洲杯国足夺冠 中国球迷该哭还是该笑 -- 宁子

China Soccer Coach Faces Sanction for Medal Boycott, Post Says

Aug. 9 (Bloomberg) -- China's Dutch soccer coach Arie Haan faces disciplinary action for refusing to accept his second-place medal after his team lost to Japan in the Asian Cup final on Saturday, the South China Morning Post reported, citing Peter Velappan, head of the Asian Football Confederation.

Haan's boycott was ``provocative'' and could have further riled the 65,000 Chinese fans, already disappointed by their team's 3-1 defeat, the report cited Velappan as saying. Chinese fans, who packed Beijing's Worker's Stadium, booed Japan's players and tried to drown out the Japanese national anthem with jeers in a display of nationalism that traces its roots to wars between the two countries in the 1930s and 1940s.

The Asian Football Confederation had warned both teams against inflammatory gestures during the politically-charged match, the report said. Most of the 65,000 fans had filed out of the stadium when the Chinese side ceded its third goal to the Japanese team, missing Haan's gesture, it said.

Haan blamed poor decisions by the referee for his action, the report said. Japan's second goal was scored by a ``handball'' which Kuwaiti referee Saad Al Fahdli didn't catch, Sports Illustrated reported on its Web site. newspaper's Web site.)