Christian (26; full name Cristian Renato) is the marquee striker for K League 2 club Busan I'Park. He has been barred from the pitch for 60 days after being caught driving under the influence.
The Korea Professional Football League said Tuesday it had imposed a 60-day activity suspension on Busan's Christian, barring him from official K League matches, after police caught him driving drunk.
The measure is a temporary step ahead of formal disciplinary proceedings. The league has halted Christian's participation in matches for now and plans to convene its disciplinary committee later to decide the exact punishment.
An "activity suspension" temporarily bars a person from all K League-related activities for 60 days, extendable up to 90. The league uses it when conduct causes public controversy or damages the value of the K League and the disciplinary committee cannot deliberate the case quickly.
Busan had earlier said via its SNS account that afternoon, "We have confirmed that Christian was caught driving under the influence on Monday. As soon as we became aware of this, we convened an emergency player management committee, excluded Christian from training and team activities, and reported the matter to the league."
The club added, "Based on the confirmed facts and the results of the investigation, we will take strict follow-up measures in accordance with the relevant regulations. We will review and strengthen our player management and education systems to do our utmost to prevent a recurrence."
Christian's drunk driving controversy is a painful blow for Busan. The Brazilian-born striker, who joined the club ahead of this season, has scored 8 goals and set up 4 assists in 24 K League 2 matches, leading the team in both goals and combined goal contributions.
Busan had been locked in a race for first place since early in the season, fueling hopes of promotion to K League 1. But after holding a share of the lead through July, the club has gone winless in its last eight matches, drawing two and losing six. It has since slipped to sixth place.
With Christian, who had led the team's attack, now facing disciplinary proceedings, Busan's promotion push is expected to take an additional hit.
betterj@heraldcorp.com
