The Chinese Super League (CSL) tournament is nearing its conclusion, while the issue of referee's decisions and penalties this season has continued to arouse public debate, with the enforcement of some referees triggering widespread dissatisfaction. At the same time, anti-corruption and anti-triad work at the league level is also progressing steadily. Recently, a number of key figures in Chinese soccer have been investigated, ranging from FA executives to club management to players, but inexplicably, despite the fact that this action has been going on for nearly a year, no members of the refereeing team have been arrested, which seems unbelievable to many fans.
Currently, Tan Hai, the former head of the CFA's refereeing committee, has been arrested, yet none of the active referees have been caught yet. Controversial referees such as Ma Ning, Fu Ming and Zhang Lei are still enforcing the law in the Chinese Super League and the Asian Champions League. Undeniably, their enforcement level needs to be improved, and the inconsistency of enforcement standards has become a major problem in their work. They seem to have become "tools" on the pitch, relying on VAR technology to enforce the law.
In the eyes of fans, many controversial referees are regarded as representatives of "black whistles". However, up to now, they have not been caught by the police. However, the latest news reveals that some referees have started to return the stolen money. Media personality Miao Yuan revealed: "I recently heard that some referees have started to return small amounts of stolen money, probably just some hospitality expenses. From the investigation and evidence, it is really not easy to prove the criminal behavior of professional referees, unless we can find clear evidence of the source of funds!"
The impact of this on the future of Chinese soccer is unclear. On the one hand, some referees may have realized the seriousness of the problem and voluntarily returned the stolen money in order to protect themselves; on the other hand, it is extremely difficult to investigate the referees. How to distinguish whether a referee made a mistake due to lack of professionalism or took a bribe to blow a black whistle has become a difficult problem. In the past, there was the phenomenon of "official whistle" in the Chinese Super League, but now there are many officials in the Football Association, and the referees are not yet involved, which seems to indicate that the phenomenon of "official whistle" no longer exists.
Media personality Miao Yuan posed a thought-provoking question, "Is this referee a man of integrity who makes the occasional mistake, or is he a brother who makes mistakes on purpose to hide his intelligence?" The question sparked a lively discussion among fans. In any case, the anti-corruption and anti-triad action is like the sword of Damocles hanging over the head, and any wind blowing may trigger the wrath of thunder. The refereeing issue in the new season of the Chinese Super League is still serious, and many fans are looking forward to a fair judgment, while time will eventually give the answer. Chinese soccer must avoid falling into the vicious circle of the third round of anti-corruption and anti-blackness.
