In last night's fierce battle between Xinjiang and Nanjing Tongxi, Qi Lin became the "main culprit" for Xinjiang's defeat. In this game, Qi Lin performed quite poorly, playing 11 minutes in the first half with only 1 out of 4 three-pointers made, 1 out of 5 shots made for a total of 5 points, and committing 4 fouls. Throughout the game, he made only 2 out of 10 shots for a total of 7 points, committed 5 fouls, and had the lowest plus-minus value on the team at -12. When Qi Lin was substituted off the court, it was the fastest stage for Xinjiang to catch up in points. However, when Qi Lin was on the court, Xinjiang was mostly suppressed by Tongxi.
In the second quarter of the game, Qi Lin also went berserk due to dissatisfaction with the referee's decision, earning a technical foul and angrily wanting to fight the referee. Fortunately, Liu Wei and Abudu Salamu intervened in time to prevent a major disaster.
To avoid another outburst from Qi Lin, who had already received a technical foul, Xinjiang decided to send him back to the locker room to cool down. However, after leaving the court, Qi Lin did not calm down. Upon returning to the locker room, he picked up his phone and criticized the on-duty head referee, Yang Hongfeng with jersey number 39, online, posting the number "39" on social media. Although Qi Lin deleted this post after the game, it had already caused significant controversy during the match.
After the game, Qi Lin also apologized the next day, stating that due to his inability to control his emotions, he had engaged in some improper behaviors, causing negative effects on all parties. He deeply regrets this and sincerely apologizes to everyone. Qi Lin also expressed his willingness to unconditionally accept the punishment issued by the CBA company.
Qi Lin showed remorse, and the CBA also wanted to be magnanimous. Therefore, in the late night of January 13th, Beijing time, the CBA company issued a heavy fine, imposing a 30,000 RMB penalty on Qi Lin of the Xinjiang team. The reason for the penalty was that Qi Lin had posted inappropriate comments on social media during the game, violating league regulations.
This fine is the second personal fine for Qi Lin this season. The previous one occurred on the 23rd of last year, during the game between Xinjiang and Shanxi. Qi Lin was dissatisfied with Goodwin's tactical foul against Ilifu Lati, leading to a conflict with Goodwin. They almost came to blows before being separated, resulting in both being disqualified. Goodwin was suspended for two games and fined 50,000 RMB, while Qi Lin was suspended for three games and fined 100,000 RMB.
With this latest fine, Qi Lin has been penalized a total of 130,000 RMB in the second phase, surpassing Zhao Rui and Du Runwang to become the "biggest spender" in the CBA this season. If Qi Lin does not rein in his temperament in the upcoming league matches, he might even surpass Huang Rongqi, the top earner from last season.
Qi Lin's punishment is self-inflicted; this season, he has had three impulsive actions, not only harming himself but also the team. Liu Wei could only say, "I've been wronged." During Qi Lin's outburst, Liu Wei tried in vain to restrain him. It was only when captain Abudu stood up and repeatedly ordered Qi Lin to sit back on the bench that a bigger controversial action might have been prevented.
While Qi Lin was being punished, the CBA also imposed a 20,000 RMB fine on Liu Wei according to relevant regulations. At the same time, the club's director, Guo Jian, was also fined 10,000 RMB. The total of these three fines amounts to 60,000 RMB, which is quite excessive. Unexpectedly, Qi Lin was not penalized for kicking an advertising board but was instead fined by the CBA for posting a message online. The two digits "39" caused significant economic losses for Xinjiang, with a total of 340,000 RMB in fines so far this season! The biggest loss was suffered by head coach Liu Wei.
When players are punished, coaches bear joint responsibility. For the conflict between Qi Lin and Goodwin, Liu Wei was fined 10,000 RMB; for Zhao Rui's collision with the referee, Liu Wei was fined 20,000 RMB. After receiving Qi Lin's third fine, Liu Wei has been fined a total of 50,000 RMB by the CBA this season. As a rookie coach just starting in the CBA, Liu Wei's salary is definitely not high. It's unbelievable that he has been fined so much money in less than a season, making him more wronged than Dou E.
Many fans also expressed deep sympathy for Liu Wei, saying: "Liu Wei worked in Xinjiang for a year without any development and instead lost tens of thousands of yuan; Liu Wei's underwear is about to be fined away; finally understand why Qiu Biao left."
However, to be fair, as head coach, Liu Wei should also set an example and manage the team well. During the game, he should lead by example and not badmouth opponents, which could negatively influence the team. The repeated issues with Qi Lin and Zhao Rui must have something to do with Liu Wei and the team management not disciplining them properly behind the scenes. What do you think?
