Xinhua News Agency, Shanghai, April 14 (Reporter Gongbing, Xu Dongyuan) On the 14th, in the sixth round of the 2024 Chinese Super League, Shanghai Port team played Shandong Taishan team at home, women's international assistant referee Xie Lijun served as the second assistant referee, thus becoming the first female referee in China to referee the top professional league of men's football.
Born in 1989, Xie Lijun is an elite assistant referee of the AFC, who has refereed the 2022 Women's Asian Cup, the 2024 U20 Women's Asian Cup final, and has also refereed FIFA events many times, and is the only Chinese referee in the 2023 Women's World Cup. Before officiating at the 2023 Women's World Cup, she had already passed the FIFA Standard Physical Fitness Test for Men's Referees.
Before the start of the Chinese Super League this season, the Chinese Football Association announced a series of measures to improve the professional level of referees in domestic professional leagues and improve the management and supervision of referees in professional leagues.
In recent years, it has become increasingly normal for outstanding female referees from Europe, Japan and South Korea to referee various national, continental men's youth or professional competitions at all levels, and there is also a female referee in the men's World Cup. The Chinese Football Association has also been making relevant efforts, as early as 2015, Qin Liang served as the fourth official of the Chinese men's football secondary professional league and the referee of the Chinese league reserve team.