Wembley International staff wept or stood open-mouthed and stunned as Urban Services officers and new security guards marched in to take over Hong Kong Stadium at 11 am sharp.
Provisional Urban Councillors voted yesterday to terminate Wembley's management contract after a long-running dispute about its handling of the venue.
More than 40 employees were told they were out of a job and ordered to pack their belongings and return all Wembley property including keys, records and agreements by 7 pm.
'We were told we need not come back. It's so sudden, not even our boss knew,' said Ms Ma, an assistant executive.
'We were not even allowed to go for lunch until the documents had been handed over. We got only a hamburger and soft drink on the last day of work,' she said.
'It's outrageous and unacceptable.' New security guards were posted at all entrances to check vehicles, staff and visitors.
They stood shoulder-to-shoulder with their predecessors, who had not yet received orders from the management to stand down.