On February 5, Beijing time, the AFC officially announced the appointment of the referee for the first game of the Asian Cup semifinals, and Chinese referee Ma Ning will serve as the fourth official of the Asian Cup semifinals South Korea vs Jordan. This is also the second time that Ma Ning has participated in the South Korean team in this Asian Cup.
The 44-year-old Ma Ning has participated in 6 games in this Asian Cup, including refereeing South Korea vs Bahrain in the group stage, Qatar vs Palestine in the 1/8 finals and Japan vs Iran in the 1/4 finals.
Especially in the first match between South Korea and Bahrain, Ma Ning, as the referee, took out 5 yellow cards to the Korean players, especially the punishment of Son Xingmin for fake fall and yellow, which caused strong dissatisfaction from the South Korean side. South Korean coach Klinsmann even refused to shake hands with Ma Ning after the game, and South Korean media and netizens also criticized Ma Ning one after another.
However, despite the annoyance of South Korea, his enforcement of the law has been highly recognized by the AFC. In the previous quarter-finals between Iran and Japan, Ma Ning decisively awarded a penalty to the Iranian team in stoppage time, which was even recognized by foreign journalists. With Ma Ning not officiating in the semifinals as the referee, he is much more likely to referee in the final.
At 23:00 Beijing time on February 6, the first game of the Asian Cup semifinals, Jordan vs South Korea, will be the first. As the fourth official of the game, Ma Ning, it is worth paying attention to what kind of plot will happen with South Korea at that time.