ANP v HKDC Squadron – 10 December 2006: Incident involving an ANP Player

On 29 January, the Disciplinary Sub-committee (DSC) of the Yau Yee League heard an appeal by ANP against a three-year ban imposed on an ANP player for an assault on a match official.

The DSC heard further evidence from the match officials, ANP players and other witnesses to the incident, and concluded that the ANP player had deliberately thrown a plastic water bottle onto the pitch shortly after his dismissal for a second yellow card.

As there was some doubt as to whether the intention of the ANP player was to harm the referee, the DSC decided to uphold in part the appeal against the three-year ban. Nonetheless, the DSC considered that the conduct of the ANP player constituted a serious case of dissent and that his actions showed disregard for the possibility of the match official being struck by the plastic bottle. Accordingly, it decided that the reduced penalty for the ANP player should be as follows –

· A two-year ban, effective from 4 February 2007 to 3 February 2009, with the second year of the ban, starting from 4 February 2008, to be suspended
· A $1,000 fine (in addition to the $500 fine for receiving a red card – therefore a total of $1,500)
· Three disciplinary points.

The DSC further ruled that, should the player receive a red card for violent conduct, or be the subject of a misconduct report from a match official during the suspended portion of the ban (i.e., between 4 February 2008 and 3 February 2009), the full term of the original two-year ban would apply, and the player could be subject to further disciplinary action by the Yau Yee League.
Wilson Hon
Hon. Secretary, Yau Yee League