With the 2022 AFC Champions League West Asia Regional Group Stage ending in Saudi Arabia in the early morning of Beijing time on the 28th, the Chinese international referee team with referees Ma Ning, Fu Ming, assistant referees Cao Yi and Shi Xiang as members also successfully concluded the enforcement task of this stage of the event. However, it is understood that several of them will not return to China immediately, but will most likely continue to accept the assignment of the AFC referee department, go to the U23 Asian Cup and the AFC Cup to enforce the law, and make a final sprint to impact the qatar World Cup law enforcement qualifications.
Manin
In the 6th round of Group E in Saudi Daman, Jordan's Amman Unity team played against Uzbekistan's Nasov team, and the referee of this match was Fu Ming, a Chinese international referee. He also played the match with three Korean referees, namely assistant referees Park Kyun-yong, Guo Seung-soon, and 4th official Kim Dae-yong. In the previous day's Group D finale match between Uzbekistan's Tashkent Cotton Farmers and Saudi Buraydah's cooperative team, another Chinese international referee, Ma Ning, served as the referee, and two Chinese referees, Shi Xiang and Cao Yi, served as assistant referees for the game.
In fact, as the elite referees cultivated by the AFC refereeing department, the above four Chinese referees are already familiar faces on the law enforcement stage of major events (including national team competitions and club team competitions) sponsored by the AFC in recent years. Taking the 2021 season as an example, these four people and the international referees Zhang Lei and Shen Yinhao have repeatedly enforced the matches of the AFC Champions League, the AFC Cup, the World Preliminary Round of 40 and the Round of 12 in different capacities (referee, assistant referee, fourth official, video assistant referee) in different capacities. Fu Ming also served as a video assistant referee last year to enforce the men's and women's soccer competitions at the Tokyo Olympics and the women's soccer club events launched by the AFC. Their enforcement performance has also been generally affirmed by the AFC.
Earlier this year, the AFC sent a letter to the Chinese Football Association asking several Chinese international referees about the operability of going abroad to enforce the AFC Champions League and other events, and finally got a positive answer. Ma Ning, Fu Ming, Shi Xiang and Cao Yi also eventually traveled to West Asia, where they successively enforced some of the important matches of the Round of 12 and the just-concluded group stage matches of the AFC Champions League And West Asia Region.
They have also continued their good work momentum this season. In the case of Fu Ming, he has participated in five AFC Champions League and West Asia regional group stage enforcement matches, including 3 as referees and 2 as 4th officer. The number of enforcement sessions between Ma Ning and the two Chinese international assistant referees was also roughly equal. The reason why they enforced the law in two ways in the sixth round was mainly because the same group finale was kicked off at the same time, and the demand for high-level referees was higher.
Fu Ming
So, will the four Chinese and international referees return to China immediately after completing the enforcement work of the group stage of the AFC Champions League and West Asia and turn to the law enforcement work of the Chinese Super League in the new season? It is understood that the four people in West Asia overcame the difficulty of overcoming the time difference and participated in the professional league referee business training for the new season organized by the Chinese Football Association from April 24 to 28 through online means, but after the end of the AFC Champions League group stage enforcement task, they will most likely not return to China immediately, but wait for the AFC's latest assignment notice to continue to enforce the U23 Asian Cup and the AFC Cup (club event).
According to the calendar, the final stage of the 5th U23 Asian Cup will be held in Uzbekistan from the beginning of May to 19 May. Considering that the mainland has been implementing relatively strict epidemic prevention and quarantine regulations for entry personnel, the AFC will most likely continue to assign 4 Chinese international referees to enforce other series of events hosted by the AFC, taking into account the difficulties that several Chinese international referees may face in their international journey. Since the four are still going all out to compete for the final stage of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the Chinese Football Association does not intend to require them to return to the domestic professional league immediately from the perspective of cooperating with the 4 people to do a good job in international competition enforcement. Of course, if the 4 people want to enter the law enforcement stage of the World Cup finals, they still need to continue to maintain a good level of law enforcement and physical condition. For them, the next law enforcement work is the sprint stage that determines the fate of the competition.
Text/Beiqing Sports Xiao Zhao