On July 24th, the CFA unveiled the results of the 15th referee review. For the incident of Wei Shihao's additional red card suspension, the FA gave a detailed explanation. In addition, Shandong Taishan foreign aid Cressan in a similar foul not subject to additional punishment, the Football Association also made a public response.
On the night of July 23, the FA Referee Committee reviewed the 15th review (No. 20240723) of the season. In response to the complaints filed by the clubs, the review covered nine cases, of which seven were in the Central League, and the panel pointed out that there were misjudgments in two of them. Meanwhile, two controversial cases in the Chinese Super League also drew attention: a similar foul incident between Shandong Taishan's Kressan and Chengdu Rongcheng's Wei Shihao.
The deliberative analysis showed that the two incidents were of very different natures, with Cressan's actions being considered a serious foul, while Wei Shihao's was considered an act of violence. The panel concluded that the referee failed to show the red card that should have been shown in the Kressan incident.
The deliberation took the form of a videoconference, and soccer supervisors from the community and the media as well as the disciplinary staff of the FA were invited to observe the meeting. Through a combination of collective discussion and individual opinions, the evaluation team reached the following conclusions:
[Case Comparison 1]: In the 18th round of the Chinese Super League (CSL), Shanghai Shenhua played against Shandong Taishan, and Cressan was shown a yellow card for a foul in the 26th minute, and was then sent off for another offense.
[Jurisprudence Comparison 2]: In the 24th round of the Chinese Super League (CSL), Wuhan Sanzhen played against Chengdu Rongcheng and Wei Shihao was shown a red card for a foul in the 63rd minute.
The panel agreed that Cressan's foul was serious and should be penalized with a direct red card, while Wei Shihao's behavior was violent and should likewise be red-carded off the field. Although there are similarities between the two cases, the specific situations are different and the applicable competition rules are also different.
For the Cressan incident, the FA decided not to initiate disciplinary proceedings. Instead, Wei Shihao's violent behavior triggered the disciplinary process, resulting in a four-game suspension and a 40,000 yuan fine.
The FA said it will continue to uphold the principles of fairness, impartiality and openness, actively listen to feedback from clubs, comment on typical cases and publicize them to the public. At the same time, the referees who have incorrect penalties will implement internal punishment.
