The Football Association's verdict revealed the ineffectiveness of Shanghai Harbour's two goals, which led to Meizhou Hakka's 1-2 defeat at home, when they should have triumphed with a 1-0 record. With the crucial three points, Meizhou Hakka will now have 16 points and jump up to 11th place in the Chinese Super League, opening up a three-point gap to the relegation zone.
Shanghai Harbour won their undefeated season with a 2-1 victory, narrowly edging out city rivals Shanghai Shenhua by two points at the top of the Chinese Super League. Had it not been for those two controversial goals, Shanghai Seaport would have lost 0-1 to Meizhou Hakka, giving Shenhua a chance to take the lead in the Super League.
Meizhou Hakka player Yin Hongbo expressed strong dissatisfaction with such "late justice". He tweeted, "Oh!" Prior to this, Yin Hongbo had a heated debate with fans on social media about whether or not there was a handball before Chitardini's goal. The latest notice from the FA has finally given a clear answer.
Shanghai Shenhua as well as team reporter Ji Yuyang also questioned the FA. He said, "If Meizhou Hakka was relegated because of the three points and Shenhua missed out on the title because of the three points from their opponents ...... then looking back at the game, why was there such a lenient penalty, after all, it was about the fate of the title and relegation?"
This controversy aside, there were also missed calls in the match between Shanghai Seaport and Wuhan Sanzhen, which also benefited Shanghai Seaport. While defending Wuhan's foreigner Balde, Shanghai Seaport's Wang Zhenao intentionally kicked someone, which constituted a reckless foul. According to the rules, he should have been awarded a free kick and shown a yellow card, but the on-site referee failed to penalize him.
