Uzbekistan international Otabek Shukurov had his leg broken by China’s Wei Shihao.
Inspite of that, he wants Chinese officials to go easy on Wei.
Wei’s club team Guangzhou has handed him a one-month suspension for the tackle from behind. He could also be kicked off the seven-time Chinese champions.
“So if it is possible, I officially ask Guangzhou Evergrande tp commute their punishment,” Shukurov wrote Thursday on social media.
“As a young ambitious football player, I understand very well that it is a great tragedy not to play football,” Shukurov added. He said Wei had apologized, and he had accepted the apology.
The incident happened Monday when Uzbekistan defeated China 1-0 in the second game of the China Cup.
Wei has played 10 times for his country and was full of remorse.
“I sincerely apologize,” he said. “Legs are very important to a soccer player, and nobody wants to hurt anyone. I hadn’t touched the ball for a long time before the foul. I wanted to do something to slow their pace. It’s truly unexpected to hurt him that badly.”
It added to a tough week for Chinese soccer as new coach Fabio Cannavaro led the national team to successive home defeats against Thailand and Uzbekistan.
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