Soccer officials are unhappy with the state of the pitch at the Hong Kong Stadium and have called on the Provisional Urban Services Department to take drastic remedial measures. Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) chairman Victor Hui Chun-fui said a senior official of the Provisional Urban Services Department had phoned him and asked for his opinion on the pitch. The official's action followed strong criticism by Asian Football Confederation (AFC) secretary-general Peter Velappan, who said the pitch was fit for 'beach football, not football', after last Sunday's Asian Club Championship final at the 40,000-seat venue. Velappan said the AFC would file a complaint with the SAR Government and Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa. He warned Hong Kong would not be considered for any Asian competitions unless the situation improved. 'I told the [Urban Services] official the pitch was a disgrace and it had damaged the image of Hong Kong soccer,' said Hui. 'I don't care about the recent dispute between the Provisional Urban Council and the stadium managers Wembley International. Somebody must do something to fix the pitch.' Hui, who was the match commissioner at last Sunday's clash, has mentioned Dalian Wanda's medals snub in his report to the AFC. Dalian refused to accept their runners-up medals following their defeat by Pohang Steelers in the final. The Chinese side were incensed with a controversial refereeing decision that allowed the Koreans to take a sudden-death penalty twice. The AFC will discuss Dalian's punishment at a meeting next Tuesday. Meanwhile, Hui said he would consider running for the chairman's post again next season. He had said earlier he would step down at the end of this season.
