Guangzhou Evergrande’s Paulinho warned by CFA over gambling advert – ESPN FC

Kawasaki Frontale held Guangzhou Evergrande to a 0-0 draw in the ACL in Group G.

The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has warned Guangzhou Evergrande midfielder Paulinho following his involvement in a gambling advert alongside a Japanese porn actress, advising players in the Chinese Super League against such behaviour in the future.

Paulinho, 28, appeared in the advertisement for the Philippines-based website earlier in the month with Tsukasa Aoi -- a Japanese actress and model who has starred in adult films.

The former Tottenham player was shown wearing a T-shirt bearing the company's logo, brandishing a wad of notes and a mobile phone while standing beside Aoi.

As a result of Paulinho's involvement in the advertisement, the CFA moved on Saturday evening to put an end to players signing similar deals.

"Following an investigation, the representation was the player's own decision, and he has not reported it to his club," read a statement on the governing body's official website.

"The Guangzhou Evergrande club has criticised Paulinho and asked him to stop the commercial activities with the betting company immediately in order to put an end to any similar activities in the future.

"Every Chinese and foreign citizen living in China should comply with Chinese laws. Recently, FIFA and the AFC [Asian Football Confederation] have been working hard to protect the integrity of football and have explicitly forbidden professional players from any involvement in the betting industry.

"In addition, it is against the conscientiousness of a professional player to be involved in any betting business. We hope professional players can respect and comply with the regulations, and respect their own career.

"We here again urge that, as the role model of the youth and the public, professional players be strict with their public image, to take a positive lead and maintain a healthy football environment."

Paulinho, who joined Guangzhou from Tottenham in 2015, won the Asian Champions League in his first year with the club while he has also claimed two Chinese Super League titles.

He recently earned a recall to the Brazil national team and scored a hat trick in his country's 4-1 win over Uruguay in World Cup qualifying in March.

Michael Church has written about Asian football for more than 20 years and mainly covers the Chinese game for ESPN FC. Twitter: @michaelrgchurch

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Guangzhou Evergrande's Paulinho warned by CFA over gambling advert - ESPN FC