Tampines also fielded players who received 3 yellow cards, so why is only CAHN at risk of a 0-3 forfeit loss?

Both CAHN and Tampines had players who accumulated 3 yellow cards during the AFC Champions League Two round of 16, but only the Vietnamese representative is at risk of penalty. What is the reason?

The 4-0 victory of Hanoi Police Football Club (CAHN) over Tampines Rovers in the first leg of the AFC Champions League Two round of 16 (on the evening of February 11) seemed to secure the police team’s place in the quarterfinals. However, following that impressive performance, CAHN now faces an unexpected complication: a potential 0-3 forfeit loss due to fielding ineligible players.

The issue arises because CAHN played Stefan Mauk and Rogerio Alves (China) in the recent match, both of whom reportedly received 3 yellow cards in the group stage — the threshold for suspension under the tournament rules. Mauk was booked in matches against Beijing (matchday 1), Macarthur (matchday 4), and Tai Po (matchday 6). Rogerio Alves received bookings in matches against Tai Po (matchdays 2 and 6) and Beijing (matchday 5).

According to Article 59.1.1, any player who receives yellow cards in 3 different matches must serve a suspension in the following match within the competition. In this case, the “next match” for Mauk and Alves was the round of 16 first leg against Tampines.

“Per Article 59.1.1 of the AFC Champions League 2 regulations, any player who accumulates yellow cards in 3 separate matches is suspended for the next match in the competition. The next match for Mauk and China (Rogerio Alves) was the round of 16 first leg, where both started against Tampines Rovers. Notably, China even scored a goal, which could worsen the severity of the violation if confirmed.

Meanwhile, Article 59.1.3 only allows yellow card clearance before the next phase if the player has at most two yellow cards, which does not apply to Mauk and China,” commented journalist Gabriel Tan fromESPN.

Mauk played the full 90 minutes, Alves was on the pitch for 64 minutes — meaning CAHN may be considered to have fielded ineligible players, which could lead to the harshest penalty commonly seen in continental tournaments: a 0-3 forfeit loss.

Meanwhile, Tampines also had a player, Ndao Talla, who reached 3 yellow cards in the group stage, but they avoided penalty because the suspension was served differently and on time. Talla received bookings in matches against Pathum (matchday 2), Pohang (matchdays 3 and 4). According to the rules, he had to miss the next match, which was the game against Kaya (matchday 5). Tampines did not register Talla for that match, meaning the suspension was properly enforced during the group stage. Hence, Talla was eligible to play in the recent match without issues like CAHN.

In summary, although both teams had players with 3 yellow cards from the group stage, Tampines served the suspension at the correct time, while CAHN faces risk because the third yellow card occurred in the final group match, causing the suspension to carry over into the knockout round. Notably, the match against Tai Po on matchday 6 was essentially a formality since the Vietnamese side had already qualified after matchday 5.

It is believed that AFC has been informed and will soon issue a ruling. If CAHN is handed a 0-3 forfeit loss, they will lose a major advantage before the second leg at Tampines’ Jalan Besar stadium next week. So far, CAHN has not provided an official response regarding the controversial situation.