Chinese Referee Ma Ning Shines at World Cup

During the Curaçao versus Ecuador match, many focused on the Curaçaoan goalkeeper, who made 15 saves. For Chinese fans, however, the attention was on Ma Ning, the 47-year-old World Cup referee from China.

China did not qualify for the tournament, leaving Ma Ning as the country’s unofficial representative. His role gained significant attention, a rarity for referees who usually stay away from the limelight.

Ma Ning was part of the first all-Chinese refereeing team at this World Cup, joined by assistant referee Zhou Fei and video assistant referee Fu Ming. He is notable for being the first Chinese referee selected for two consecutive World Cups. Although chosen for 2022, he hadn’t officiated a match on the field until now. He is also the first to referee a World Cup game since 2002.

For the 1.4 billion people in China, whose team hasn’t qualified since 2002, this was a cause for celebration. The team lost all its group stage games then without scoring. China’s state-run media called the match in Kansas City a “historic milestone” due to the presence of the Chinese referees. Many fans reportedly watched the match specifically to see Ma Ning on the field.