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Player, referee, club manager arguing on the field October 24,
2004.[Agencies] |
Football powerhouse Dalian Shide 'abandoned' a
match against Shenyang Jinde in protest at the referee on Sunday,
confronting China's embattled
Super League with yet another crisis.
The Dalian players stormed off the field after an apparent handball
went uncalled, giving Shenyang a 2-2 equalizer in the 84th minute.
Some 35 minutes after they left the pitch, referee Yang Zhiqiang
declared the game was over.
The China Football Association (CFA) has yet to declare a winner, or
make a decision on whether to penalize Dalian or sanction the referee. The
CFA and Dalian could not immediately be reached for comment.
It was the second time this month that a Super League team has walked
off due to alleged poor or crooked officiating amid widespread
accusations of corruption in the game.
On October 2, Beijing Hyundai, also known as Beijing Guoan, left the
pitch after a disputed penalty kick was awarded to Shenyang in the waning
minutes of the match.
The club then threatened to pull out of the league unless the CFA
addressed its concerns over "faked matches, black whistles (corrupt
referees), betting on games and other ugly phenomena".
 After refusing to deal with the Beijing incident for days, the
CFA finally ruled that the club would be docked three points, but also
suspended referee Zhou Weixin.
The apparent compromise resulted in Beijing agreeing to stay in the
league.
Off the field, China has shown football hooligans the red card by
proposing detention for violence on the terraces.
Fans guilty of violent or illegal acts at football matches would be
held for up to five days and fined as much as 200 yuan (US$25), Xinhua
news agency said.
"Hooligans sentenced to detention can also be barred from watching
matches in stadiums for a period of one year," it said.
A Chinese premier league match in Beijing on Saturday had to be stopped for 10 minutes when
a referee suffered a cut to the head after being hit by a piece of
garbage hurled by an angry fan.
(China Daily) | 
Updated: 2004-10-25 09:09