UEFA inflicted Olympique Lyon players Cris and Juninho fines of 15,000 euros and 10,000 euros respectively on Thursday for their deliberate booking in a Champions League match last month.

UEFA's disciplinary panel decided that the pair had committed deliberate fouls during the Nov. 25 Group F match against Fiorentina in order to serve a one-match suspension during their team's meaningless final group stage match against Bayern Munich.

Aside from the fine, the tactic appears to have paid off for the two Brazilians who can now compete in the tournament's first knockout round with their disciplinary record wiped clean.

Cris and Juninho had each picked up two yellow cards in early Champions League matches going into the Fiorentina match and would have been ruled out of the first knockout round game if their third booking had come during the Bayern match.

(Xinhua News Agency December 12, 2008)