Evergrande ad switch raises sponsor's eyebrows

A commercial dispute between Chinese Super League soccer powerhouse Guangzhou Evergrande and its car sponsor has cast a shadow over the club's recent Asian championship achievement while underlining questions of professionalism in sports management.

Two days after it claimed the high-profile AFC Champions League title on Saturday, CSL champion Evergrande became the target of public censure as auto brand Dongfeng Nissan, its jersey advertisement sponsor, said it was suing the club for breach of contract.

In the second leg of the final on Saturday - a 1-0 victory over UAE's Al Ahli - Evergrande replaced the logo of Venucia, Dongfeng Nissan's sub-brand in Chinese market, on the front of players' uniforms with an image of an insurance subsidiary under the Evergrande Group, the team's co-owner.