The AFC is full of praise for Manning's refereeing skills, as he has been repeatedly selected to officiate at major tournaments. Whether it's a tense, exciting match-up or the Asian Cup last eight match between Japan and Iran, Manning has delighted the AFC with his performances. His control on the field was breathtaking and his penalties were swift. Especially when the game was coming to an end, a Japanese player knocked down an Iranian player by committing a foul in the penalty area, Manning decided to award a penalty kick, which became the turning point of the game.
With this penalty kick, Iran managed to beat Japan and advance to the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup. After the match, the Japanese media did not object to Manning's key penalty. In view of Manning's outstanding performance in the last eight, the AFC decided to appoint him as the referee for the Asian Cup final. Ma Ning became the first Chinese to referee an Asian Cup final and won the praise of many fans.
However, in the Chinese Super League, Manning's reputation is polarized. This is mainly due to the bias of some fans against him. Whenever Manning makes a bad call against the home team, these fans will attack him and even accuse him of being a "black whistle". But in fact, from a professional point of view, there is nothing wrong with Ma Ning's judgment in the Chinese Super League. Now that he has secured his position as Asia's No. 1 Golden Whistle, his next goal is to be among the World Cup enforcers. May Maning realize this dream in 2026 and open a new chapter in his refereeing career.
