OFFICIAL: CAHN Club sanctioned with a 0-3 loss by AFC

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has officially announced that CAHN will be handed a 0-3 defeat in their game versus Tampines Rovers.

CAHN is currently the only Vietnamese club spending Tet away from home, as they visit Tampines Rovers at 19:15 on February 18 (the second day of Tet) at Jalan Besar Stadium for the second leg of the AFC Champions League Two round of 16. In their previous encounter at Hang Day Stadium on February 11, Hanoi Police secured a commanding 4-0 victory, giving them a significant advantage before the away match.

That win seemed to have put the Vietnamese side one step closer to advancing. However, recently the AFC officially announced that CAHN will forfeit the first leg 0-3 because the Vietnamese team fielded midfielder Stefan Mauk and forward Rogerio Alves, both of whom had already accumulated three yellow cards during the group stage.

Additionally, CAHN has been fined $2,000 USD under Article 56 of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code. This fine must be paid within 30 days from the date this decision is notified, according to Article 11.3 of the same code.

Furthermore, 50% of the $80,000 USD participation fee for the AFC Champions League Two 2025/26 season (i.e., $40,000 USD) that Hanoi Police FC was entitled to receive under Article 51.7 of the competition regulations will be withheld and not paid to the club.

To clarify, the AFC also stated that according to Article 14.6 of the Disciplinary and Ethics Code, players Rogerio Alves Dos Santos and Stefan Ingo Mauk are considered to have served their automatic one-match suspension during the first leg against Tampines Rovers (the match forfeited 0-3) and are eligible to play in the second leg on February 18.

With the official 0-3 loss imposed by the AFC, CAHN must now win the second leg against Tampines by at least a three-goal margin at 19:15 on February 18 at Jalan Besar Stadium (Singapore) to keep their hopes alive of advancing. This is clearly a tough challenge, especially with the Singaporean team enjoying home advantage.

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