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China's Shandong Luneng sent former captain Jiao Zhe to the reserve team, suspended his salary and fined him 30,000 yuan ($4,400) for beating up a team-mate after a Chinese Super League (CSL) game last weekend.
The 29-year-old former China international was punished for swearing at and then hitting young substitute defender Zhang Chi in the locker room after a 2-1 victory in Chongqing last weekend, local media reported on Wednesday.
"It is not as simple as kicking him out now and calling him back later. We must give him a warning, a lesson to learn ... I cannot tell (when the ban will be lifted)," club manager Han Gongzheng told the Beijing Youth Daily newspaper.
The right back swore at Zhang for his poor performance during the match, Chinese news portal Sohu.com said, and considered Zhang's silence in reply a sign of disrespect.
Jiao was stripped of his captain's armband last year for insulting home fans, and at the beginning of this season he was dropped for several matches for questioning the coach and injuring other players in training, according to Sohu.com.
Violence both on and off the pitch has become commonplace in Chinese football in recent years.
A massive brawl between the fans of local CSL rivals Hangzhou Greentown and Shanghai Shenhua after a 1-1 draw in Hangzhou last weekend left "hundreds" injured, Shenhua's fan club said on Monday.
