On August 21st, Wuhan Changjiang hosted Henan Songshan Longmen in the 14th round of the Chinese Super League. In the first half, Songshan Longmen's foreign aid Dorado knocked down the referee Ma Ning and was immediately sent off with a red card, a scene that shocked everyone present and sparked a furor inside and outside the soccer world.
Dorado's behavior was not only because it directly provoked the referee, but also because it was potentially dangerous and could have caused serious injury to an unsuspecting opponent. Prior to the match, the CFA and the CFL preparatory team had repeatedly emphasized the importance of maintaining discipline on the field of play and cracking down on all types of indiscipline, but Dorado's actions were like a blow to the head.
As a matter of fact, the CFA had already called a meeting with the persons in charge of the clubs of the Chinese Super League, the Chinese League A and the Chinese League B on the 19th to emphasize the discipline of the game, and held a conference on the discipline of the whole industry and anti-doping three days later (22nd) through the combination of on-line and off-line methods. At the meeting, more than 300 people attended, including club leaders at all levels of the league, women's soccer club leaders and so on. As the notice of the meeting was released in advance, all the Chinese Super League clubs felt the seriousness and importance of this rectification. Dorado's violation is undoubtedly "self-inflicted".
According to the organizers, Dorado will face a heavy penalty, but the "heavy penalty" should be strictly enforced in accordance with the regulations. The CFA Disciplinary Committee will initiate the investigation process, based on the reports of the on-site referees, supervisors and other officials and video information, to determine the behavior of Dorado, and then will hold a "hearing" for deliberation. According to the investigation, Dorado's dissatisfaction with Manning's decision may have been the motive for his violation.
However, regardless of the motivation, Dorado's actions constituted a serious violation of the law and have been characterized as "violent conduct". According to Article 54 of the 2022 edition of the Chinese Football Association's Disciplinary Code, a person who commits misconduct against a referee will be suspended or banned from the bench or stadium for a minimum of six months and fined at least 100,000 yuan.
Article 48 of the "Guidelines" provides a detailed description of the circumstances under which "heavier punishment" is imposed, including when the violation occurs during a stoppage in play or when there is no ball in play, as well as when the circumstances are bad, when there is a bad social impact, or when there are serious consequences. Based on the video evidence, the CFA Disciplinary Committee was able to penalize Dorado in accordance with the regulations.
