Happy Valley became the new leaders of the Hong Kong First Division yesterday, after a topsy-turvy 3-2 win that toppled Sun Hei from their perch, and then revealed they would demand something be done about the standard of refereeing in the SAR when for the umpteenth time this season poor officiating marred the day.
'It is a crisis! They have to do something,' said Valley manager Lim Fong-kee, after the preceding game at Mongkok Stadium - a 1-1 draw between Rangers, who remain in second place, and Fukien - ended with a huge scuffle between the two sides after what was supposed to have been two minutes of added time was somehow allowed to stretch to around 16 minutes.
'Another Rangers v Nancheng almost happened,' Lim added, referring to last season's infamous mass brawl in Dongguan.
Lim pointed the blame squarely at referee Fung Ka-yu.
'It was definitely his fault. They signalled two minutes of added time, but they played more than 10. The referees have to be able to keep the game under control and then the players will keep their cool.'
The players most certainly did not keep cool after Rangers' failed attempt to claim all three points from a Fukien side who had lost Cameroonian defender Guy Martial Ngassa and Godfred Karikari to red cards in the last 10 minutes of the game.
Angered either by referee Fung's failure to clamp down on Fukien goalkeeper Zhang Chunhui's histrionics or alternatively by his failure to end the game, both sides' fury erupted when the final whistle finally sounded.