SUNDERLAND, England (AP) Sunderland maintained Friday that Premier League rivals have not pushed for further action against the club after it was secretly fined for fielding an ineligible player.
South Korea striker Ji Dong-won made four Premier League appearances earlier in the season without having the correct international clearance.
Rather than having points docked, Sunderland was handed an undisclosed fine. The sanction was imposed in December, but the league kept the process secret and has never commented on it.
News of the punishment was leaked Thursday and confirmed by Sunderland after executives from the Premier League clubs met on Friday.
"No issues were raised by any club," Sunderland said on its website. "Sunderland AFC confirmed that they had complied with all procedures and the Premier League stated that the player was duly registered on the extranet system and in all other Premier League mechanisms.