Kitchee defender Liu Quankun meets AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam. (AFC)

KUALA LUMPUR – Liu Quankun says he has no grudges towards referee Hettikamkanamge Perera, who was handed a suspension for wrongly red carding the Kitchee defender during an AFC Cup match.

The 25-year-old received his second yellow card in the 87th minute of April's Group E clash against Singapore Armed Forces after removing his shirt to fan team-mate Lo Chi Hin, who had collapsed unconscious after suffering a suspected heart attack.

“Everybody makes mistakes, I have served the suspension and I hold no grudges,” Liu told www.the-afc.com while in Kuala Lumpur to receive a formal apology from AFC President Mohamed bin Hammam.

“I was very grateful to meet the President and he told me that what I did to help my team-mate was a good example to everyone.

“I was very confused with the sending off and so were the Kitchee officials but they appreciated what I did to help Lo and they told me that I did the right thing.

“I personally don’t want anything to happen to the referee and I believe he should be allowed to continue,” Liu said.

“He was just doing his job how he thought it should be done but while rules are rules referees should make decisions taking into account the situation.”

While Liu believed that there was no need to censure Perera, the AFC Referees Committee had suspended the Sri Lankan official pointing out that his decision to book the Kitchee player was in fact incorrect according to FIFA’s laws of the game.

The Committee also noted that Perera’s error and somewhat unsympathetic actions painted a very negative image of the AFC’s Elite Referees.