BEIJING: Asian champions Guangzhou Evergrande smashed China’s transfer fee record Wednesday when they announced a deal to secure Atletico Madrid’s unsettled Colombian striker Jackson Martinez for 42 million euros ($46 million).

Martinez, 29, is the latest Europe-based player to move to the cashed-up Chinese Super League and was described as a “goal poacher” and “fox in the box” in a Chinese-language statement on the club’s website.

The purchase broke the week-old Chinese record fee of 28 million euros, paid by Jiangsu Suning to acquire Brazilian midfielder Ramires from Chelsea.

It lifted the Chinese Super League’s total spending during the current transfer window to 203.9 million euros, according to website transfermarkt which tracks commercial dealings in the sport, second only to the English Premier League.

Atletico bought Martinez last year from FC Porto where he had scored an impressive 92 goals in 133 games, but he struggled to establish himself in Spain, scoring just two goals in 15 La Liga appearances.

Chinese businesses have invested huge sums in football since President Xi Jinping, an avowed fan of the sport, declared that hosting, qualifying, and winning a World Cup were national goals.

In the past, the highest-profile international signings by Chinese clubs tended to be ageing stars in their 30s nearing the end of their playing days.

But many of those bought in the current transfer window have been in their late 20s.

Questions have been asked about whether some are past their prime, but David Hornby, sports business director of the Mailman brand management group in Shanghai, said: “These are not guys at the end of their career just looking for a pay-out.”

Fined

Evergrande will kick off their defense of the Champions League title in an empty stadium after being punished Wednesday by Asia’s football governing body for breaching league rules.

The breaches included filming an Al Ahli (UAE) closed training session, conducting an unauthorized post-match ceremony and infringing on the commercial rights of Asian Football Confederation sponsors, the AFC said in a statement.

The governing body said further violations relate to safety and security failures during the second leg of the 2015 final, which the club hosted on November 21 against Al Ahli.

“The AFC disciplinary committee has fined Guangzhou Evergrande a total of $160,000 and ordered the club to play its first match in the 2016 season behind closed doors,” the football body said.

The game in question is Guangzhou Evergrande’s group stage match on February 24 against the winner of East Zone play-off 1.

The Chinese Football Association was also fined $10,000.

Guangzhou are China’s most successful club, having won the Chinese Super League the last five years in a row. They also claimed the Asian Champions League twice in the same period.

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AFC