The AFC highly recognizes Manning's refereeing level, and he has been invited to enforce important matches many times. Whether in key matches or in the Asian Cup last eight match between Japan and Iran, Manning's performance satisfied the AFC. Manning showed amazing control of the game and was very decisive in his penalties. Particularly noteworthy was the fact that Manning had no hesitation in awarding a penalty when a Japanese player brought down an Iranian player for a foul in the penalty area near the end of the match.
Many Chinese Super League fans believe that Manning's reputation is polarized both domestically and in the AFC, mainly due to the prejudice some fans hold against him. Whenever Manning makes an unfavorable call against the home team, these fans unite to attack him, calling him a black whistle. In fact, from a professional point of view, there is nothing wrong with Maning's calls in the Chinese Super League. Now that Maning has cemented his position as Asia's first golden whistle, his next goal is to be able to enforce the World Cup. Hopefully, Maning can realize this dream in 2026 and usher in a new peak in his refereeing career.
