Chinese referee Ma Ning made his debut as the main referee at the USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup.
According to reports from CCTV News and Shenzhen News Network, at 8am Singapore time on Sunday (June 21), during the second round of Group E at the USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup between Ecuador and Curaçao, Chinese referees Ma Ning, Zhou Fei, and Fu Ming respectively served as the main referee, assistant referee, and Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for the match.
This was the 47-year-old Ma Ning's first time serving as a main referee at the World Cup in his career, and also marked the first time in 24 years that a Chinese referee officiated as a main referee in a World Cup match.
As of 9:40am, Ma Ning had issued four yellow cards on the field.
As of 9:40am, Ma Ning had issued four yellow cards on the field.
In the 38th to 39th minute of the first half, Ma Ning gave out two yellow cards in quick succession to fouling players from both sides. At halftime, the captains of both Ecuador and Curaçao approached Ma Ning to protest about the officiating. In the second half, Ma Ning issued a yellow card in the 53rd minute, and less than three minutes later, issued another yellow card.
The topic of Ma Ning’s “two yellows in one minute” trended on Weibo on Sunday. Some netizens joked: “The card master is steady as always, the same old recipe and the same familiar taste, deals the cards decisively and never hesitates.”
Ma Ning was born in June 1979 in Fuxin, Liaoning, and obtained his FIFA (international-level referee) officiating qualification in 2011. In the 2022 Qatar World Cup, 43-year-old Ma Ning was included in the official referee list for the finals, but did not get the opportunity to officiate as a main referee.
The topic of Ma Ning’s “two yellows in one minute” trended on Weibo on Sunday. Some netizens joked: “The card master is steady as always, the same old recipe and the same familiar taste, deals the cards decisively and never hesitates.”
Ma Ning was born in June 1979 in Fuxin, Liaoning, and obtained his FIFA (international-level referee) officiating qualification in 2011. In the 2022 Qatar World Cup, 43-year-old Ma Ning was included in the official referee list for the finals, but did not get the opportunity to officiate as a main referee.
In 2023, Ma Ning became the first Chinese referee to officiate as the main referee in an Asian Cup final. This year, Ma Ning was included in the World Cup referees list for the first time as the main referee.