When Curaçao and Ecuador faced off in their recent 0-0 draw, the spotlight was largely on Curaçao’s goalkeeper. His impressive performance included 15 saves, drawing comparisons to some of the greatest feats in World Cup history.
However, in China, the main interest was elsewhere. Fans there focused on Ma Ning, a 47-year-old referee who sees his role at the World Cup as China’s unofficial representation, given the national team’s failure to qualify.
Ma Ning, a prominent figure, made his World Cup debut as the highest-ranking Chinese referee. His presence marks an unusual prominence for a referee. Ma’s participation signals an important moment for China, which last appeared at the World Cup in 2002. During that appearance, the team left the group stage without a win or a goal.
Alongside assistant referee Zhou Fei and video assistant referee Fu Ming, Ma is part of the first Chinese refereeing team to participate in this World Cup. Notably, he is the first Chinese referee to be selected for two consecutive tournaments. Although chosen for the 2022 World Cup, he did not officiate on-field at that time. No Chinese referee had officiated a World Cup match since 2002.
This development has sparked celebration in China, a nation of 1.4 billion people. The Chinese state-run media described the referees’ role in Kansas City, Missouri, as a “historic milestone.” On social media, some fans shared that they watched the game specifically to see Ma Ning officiate.
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