ADELAIDE United will not face Jeonbuk Motors in the AFC Champions League after the club was banned from participating due to its involvement with match fixing.

The Asian Football Confederation last night announced its decision to oust Jeonbuk for a year from official international club football.

Jeonbuk, who knocked out Melbourne Victory 3-2 on aggregate in last year’s round of 16, were docked nine points and fined $US91,000 by the K League’s disciplinary committee in September for payments a club scout made to referees. The club, who finished second in last season’s K League Classic, were crowned champions of Asia in November after sealing a 3-2 aggregate victory over United Arab Emirates team Al Ain.

” ... Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors is ineligible to participate in AFC competitions for the 2017 season due to its indirect involvement in activities aimed at arranging or influencing the outcome of matches during the 2013 and 2014 K-League seasons,” the AFC said in a statement.

media_camera Mark Ochieng (L) of Adelaide United celebrates with teammate Isaas after he scored the winning goal during the round 15 A-League match between Adelaide United and Melbourne City FC.

“Such indirect involvement was found to be in contravention of Article 11.8 of the Entry Manual for the AFC Club Competitions 2017-2020.

“As such, Jeonbuk ... was deemed not to have met the sporting criteria to participate in the AFC Champions League 2017.”

Following an inquiry after the confederation initially allowed the reigning Champions League champion to participate in the 2017 competition despite entry manual rules clearly stating any club guilty of match manipulation would be barred from international club football the AFC laid down the letter of the law after an inquiry this month.

FIFA also investigated the case after a former club scout was last year found guilty of bribing referees in the South Korean K-League in 2013 and 2014.

Jeju United will now replace Jeonbuk in Adelaide’s Group H.

The Reds will face Jeju on March 1 away and March 15 at Hindmarsh.

The club finished third in the K-League classic last year.