The referee squats on the court and covers his injured eye with hand after a CBA league match on Tuesday, December 25, 2007.

 

A referee became the sacrifice of the irritated local supporters in a Chinese Basketball Association league match on Tuesday where Shaanxi Dongshen was toppled by the visiting Dongguan team 108-99.

 

The incident occurred soon after the final buzz as an object flew off the crowd and hit the eye of a referee who later squatted on the court and was escorted away by mates.

 

It's the second straight reverse the Shaanxi side has seen in three days, extending the team's winless row in the league to nine.

 

It's not the first unrest at the Shaanxi's home court in Xi'an. More than two hundreds fans besieged the vehicle of the visiting Yunnan team on December 5 after a conflict between the two teams on court.

 

The city's game organizer was also fined 5,000 yuan after a 9th round league match earlier this year for unruly supporters throwing water bottles onto the court.

 

(CRI.cn December 26, 2007)