Does the Korean media have a sore face? Chinese football elements entered the Asian Cup final, but the South Korean men's football team went home early
A few days ago, the AFC officially confirmed that Ma Ning will officiate the match between Jordan and Qatar in the final of this Asian Cup, which made many Chinese fans excited. At the same time, Ma Ning also made Chinese football history and became the first Chinese referee to officiate in the Asian Cup final. Manin was heavily used in the Asian Cup in Qatar, officiating seven matches. Among them, the first match of the group stage against South Korea against Bahrain was Ma Ning's debut in the Asian Cup in Qatar.
In this game, against the style of Korean brutal football, Ma Ning whistled very strictly. Ma Ning repeatedly showed yellow cards to South Korean players, which made the South Korean media very dissatisfied. South Korean media believe that Ma Ning is a black whistle and deliberately targeted the South Korean men's football team. Later, after South Korea reached the semifinals, some South Korean media were worried about whether Ma Ning was going to enforce the final of this Asian Cup, and then target the South Korean men's football team again.
It turned out that the worries of the South Korean media were very unfounded, because the South Korean team did not win in the semi-finals and were beaten by their opponent Jordan all over the field. In the end, the South Korean team lost to Jordan and directly missed the Asian Cup final. Therefore, the Korean media do not have to worry that Ma Ning will target the South Korean men's football team in the final. Although the South Korean media has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with Ma Ning's law enforcement level, the AFC's eyes are bright.
The AFC has recognized Ma Ning's level of law enforcement, and has allowed him to officiate key matches many times. Ma Ning's performance in key matches did not disappoint the AFC either. Ma Ning's performance in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup against Iran in Japan was amazing, with a very strong ability to control the field and a very decisive blow. Especially in the late stages of the game, the Japanese player brought down the Iranian player in the penalty area, and Manin did not hesitate to point to the penalty line.
It was with this penalty kick that the Iranian team sent Japan out of the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup. After the game, the Japanese media did not raise any objection to Ma Ning's key blow. Because Ma Ning played an eye-catching role in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup, the AFC made up its mind to let him blow the Asian Cup final. For this reason, Ma Ning became the first Chinese player to officiate in the Asian Cup final, which made many fans give him a thumbs up.
Many Chinese Super League fans feel that Ma Ning's reputation in China and the AFC is polarized, mainly because some fans are prejudiced against Ma Ning. As soon as Manin makes an unfavorable blow against the home team, this part of the fans will attack him in droves, treating him as a black whistle. In fact, from a business point of view alone, there is no problem with Ma Ning's blowing penalty in the Chinese Super League. Now, Ma Ning has secured the position of Asia's No. 1 golden whistle, and his next goal is to officiate the World Cup. I hope that Ma Ning can realize this dream in the 2026 World Cup and usher in a new peak in his refereeing career.
(Shopkeeper Luo)