The 2022 AFC Champions League West Asia region will start on April 7, local time in Saudi Arabia. Beijing Youth Daily reporter learned that the Chinese international referee team with Ma Ning, Fu Ming, Cao Yi and Shi Xiang as members will continue to reside in West Asia after the 9th round of the Round of 12 matches between Iraq vs. the United Arab Emirates and Iran vs Lebanon in the late last month, and will then participate in the law enforcement of some events in the West Asia region of the AFC Champions League. And this may become the "last test" for them to compete for the final stage of the World Cup in Qatar.
As the elite referees currently reused by the AFC, Maning, Fu Ming, Cao Yi and Shi Xiang have enforced the law many times in the Asian regional events of the Qatar World Preliminary Tournament, such as Ma Ning and other Chinese referees who have enforced major matches such as the first confrontation between Iran and Iraq in the round of 12. Although the conditions for Chinese international referees to visit are limited due to the impact of the epidemic, the Chinese Football Association has spared no effort to create relatively convenient conditions for them to cooperate with their work. For example, taking advantage of the opportunity of the national football team to participate in the top 40 competitions in West Asia, the association has also arranged several referees to go to the base camp of the national football team to "rest" during the interval between different international competitions and different rounds of similar competitions, and assist them to complete the international journey with the team.
It is also thanks to the continuous excellent law enforcement performance in the AFC Champions League, the Asian regional events of the Qatar World Preliminary Championships, the Tokyo Olympic Games, and the women's football club events in the past year, and several Chinese and international referees have been highly affirmed by the AFC refereeing department. The AFC refereeing department also sent a letter to the Chinese Football Association earlier this year, continuing to invite several Chinese international referees to enforce the final two rounds of the Round of 12.
The 4-member Chinese international level referee team had previously enforced the key battle between Iraq's home and the Uae in the 9th round of the Round of 12, which was related to the qualification of the Group A play-off, and then enforced the "final battle" between Iran and Lebanon in the 10th round. Among them, Ma Ning and Fu Ming served as the referees of these two games.
After the Chinese international referee team finished enforcing the "Battle of Iraq and Lebanon", they did not leave for China, but transferred to Saudi Arabia. This is because the new season of the AFC Champions League West Asia region will be held in Saudi Arabia from April 7 to 27. Due to limited international travel conditions during the epidemic, several Chinese referees have been stationed in West Asia since they departed from China on March 21. Similar experiences have been common over the past year or so.
It should be noted that the above 4 Chinese referees have entered the final stage of the Qatar World Cup referee candidate lineup. The AFC will select the best referees from all aspects to enter the Qatar World Cup enforcement squad according to the performance of its elite international referees (including assistant referees and video assistant referees). Therefore, in a sense, the next AFC Champions League law enforcement is an important assessment of the candidate referees by the AFC.
Judging from the above arrangement, the four Chinese referees will be ironclad in the law enforcement work of the first stage of the Chinese Super League in the new season. Of course, in the eyes of the Chinese Football Association and the referee himself, it is worth paying such a price. After all, if Chinese referees can return to the stage of direct law enforcement, then the incentive effect on Chinese referees and even Chinese football circles is huge.
Text/Beiqing Sports Xiao Zhao