Title contenders Xinjiang Guanghui were officially kicked out of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) playoffs for misrepresenting its player Guan Xiuchang's identity, the CBA announced yesterday.

Guan Xiuchang The club was stripped of all points from 18 games in which Guan played, dropping the team to No 11 and making them unable to qualify for the eight-team playoff.

The previously ninth-ranked Zhejiang Guangsha was lifted into the playoffs and will play against regular-season champions Guangdong Horses today.

This is the harshest punishment the CBA has delivered since Sichuan Team was kicked out of the league in 1998 following a transaction violation.

Fans hailed the move as 82 percent of respondents voted in a Sina.com poll saying the decision was "absolutely right".

Xinjiang owner Hou Wei, who had claimed his side was innocent, apologized to fans.

"I am sorry for letting our fans down," Wei said. "I hope fans can understand us and support us in the future.

"Even though we are unable to compete in the playoffs, we will stay in the CBA for next season. All we can do is make the best preparations for the new season that tips off this October."

Xinjiang players are obviously disappointed by the result, believing their heroic efforts and unexpected success have all gone to waste.

"I'm sorry for the result. Everybody worked so hard all season long," Xinjiang center Xue Yuyang said in an interview with CCTV. "Actually, we played very well even after Guan left. It was our own efforts that secured the playoff spot, but now it's been wasted just because of an individual incident."

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