BEIJING, June 5 (Reuters) - The arrival of former Colombia
striker Hamilton Ricard for a trial with Shanghai Shenhua on Tuesday may not be the best news for a China Super League (CSL) hoping to rebuild its reputation.
The 33-year-old former Middlesbrough forward is famously
fiery and was banned for a year, reduced on appeal, for
insulting a referee and making obscene gestures at the crowd
while playing for Emelec in Ecuador in 2004.
Shenhua official Guo Guangqi told Reuters on Tuesday that
the Colombian international had joined the squad as they
prepared for the East Asian Champions Cup, which starts in
Jinan on Thursday.
Ricard most recently helped unfashionable Danubio win the
Uruguayan championship, making a typical contribution to the
title-winning match by scoring a goal before being dismissed.
Shenhua, currently struggling in seventh place in the CSL
despite a big-money merger with city rivals Shanghai United in
the close season, are coached by Uruguayan Osvaldo Gimenez.
Ricard, who has also had spells at Bulgaria's CSKA Sofia
and Numancia of Spain, has been under a cloud since a vehicle
he was driving killed a pedestrian in 2002.
In January, a Colombian court sentenced him to three years
in prison over the incident although his lawyers said they
would appeal.
The CSL is determined to clean up its image after being
plagued by on-pitch violence and corruption in recent years.
Last week, Xian Chanba coach Cheng Yaodong was banned from
the touchline for the rest of the season and fined 10,000 yuan
($1,308) for pushing a referee during a match.
