Referee shoved and bottle thrown: Sha Tin lose plot in semi-final of shame
- Sha Tin captain Fabio Lopes sent off for shoving referee, and fans hurl abuse and bottle during bitter League Cup semi-final with victors Wofoo Tai Po
- Late goals from Nicholas Benavides Medeiros secure Sham Shui Po the other spot in next week’s final
Controversy overshadowed the Division One League Cup semi-finals on Sunday night as a Sha Tin player was sent off for pushing a referee and a bottle was thrown at the official.
The Hong Kong Football Association said it was looking into the events that unfolded at Kowloon Bay Sports Ground, as a knockout competition that was designed to relaunch domestic football descended into acrimony.
An already fiery last-four clash between long-standing rivals Sha Tin and Wofoo Tai Po boiled over as two Sha Tin players were shown red cards – one of them captain Fabio Lopes after he shoved the referee during an ugly second-half exchange.
From there, the atmosphere soured further. At full-time, Lopes returned to the field to berate the match officials, spurring rowdy Sha Tin fans to do the same. As the officials left the ground, one angry fan threw a bottle while other spectators, and Sha Tin players, hurled abuse.
A spokesman for the FA said on Sunday night that the governing body was likely to launch an investigation.
In between the controversy, striker Chiu Siu-wai scored the game’s only goal to book Tai Po a place in the final. But it will be the aftermath of the semi-final that lingers as the month-long League Cup culminates next weekend.
