2024-02-10T06:06:55+00:00
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/ Chinese referee Ma Ning is scheduled to referee the biggest match of his football career, this evening, Saturday, which is the Asian Cup final between Qatar and Jordan.
The Asian Football Confederation decided to choose a referee from the east of the continent, to keep him away from the Arab circle of controversy, especially with the spread of controversial cases by referees during the tournament.
The Asian Federation is trying to avoid controversy by appointing Chinese referee Ma Ning, who works as a sports teacher when he is not leading matches on the field, but his history is full of controversial paradoxes on the field.
In 2015, Ma Ning was at the centre of controversy after being shown three red cards in the Shanghai derby between Shanghai SIPG and Shanghai Shenhua.
Ma Ning came into the spotlight again in the summer of 2022, after he was deliberately beaten by Brazilian player Henrique Dourado while officiating a Chinese Super League match.
Days later, the Chinese Football Association announced a 12-month ban for the player, the harshest penalty in league history.
The Chinese referee was also subjected to an online attack by Korean fans, due to his awarding of 5 yellow cards to South Korean players, during the match against Bahrain.
Four years later, the 44-year-old was selected to become one of China’s professional referees, leading to his appointment to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
But the joy turned into regret, after FIFA decided not to appoint him for any match during the World Cup, as he remained in the reserve referees category.
A rumor has recently spread about Ma Ning, regarding him receiving a “bribe” in the AFC Champions League, and regarding his suspension from refereeing for months due to the incident.
However, Asian Federation officials confirm that this news is false, and there is no evidence of the incident or the story that has recently spread on Arab news websites.
Ning has a history that makes Qatari fans optimistic about him, as the results of the “Al-Annabi” team have been excellent in the matches he has managed.
The Qatari team achieved the following positive results under the management of Ma Ning:
2013: Victory over Egypt 3-1 in a friendly match.
2019: Victory over Lebanon 2-0 in the group stage of the Asian Cup in the UAE.
2021: Win over India 1-0 in World Cup qualifying group.
2023: Victory over Kuwait 2-0 in the “Basra Gulf Cup”.
2024: Victory over Palestine 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current Asian Cup.