On July 30th, at 19:20, the first round of the second half of the 16th round of the First Division League officially started with four exciting matches. In the morning, China First Division League officials unveiled the referees for the four matches.
It is reported that the Chinese Super League sequence referees will officiate two key matches respectively. Jiangxi referee Wan Tao will be in charge of the direct match between Sichuan Jiuniu and Shijiazhuang Kung Fu; his partner assistant referees will be Xinjiang's Alimu Jiang, Beijing's Peng Bo and Jiangsu's Cui Yueqiang. Guangdong's Wang Feng will be the referee supervisor.
On the eve of the match, both sides were in second and third place in the table, separated by only one point. With Guangxi Pingguo Ha Rang and Jinan Xingzhou drawing 0-0, and Nanjing City going down 0-3 to Heilongjiang Bingcheng, the competitive landscape has changed slightly. Sichuan Jiuniu and Shijiazhuang Kungfu are both expected to consolidate their advantage over the competition in a fierce battle.
In the other matchup, Qingdao West Coast will face relegation-pressured Jiangxi Lushan at the Qingdao West Coast University City Stadium. Referee Ren Tong from Yanbian, one of the two new referees hired for this season's Chinese Super League, will officiate.
Qingdao West Coast sees a chance to accelerate their catch-up with two of their top rivals in the race for the Super League blocked. A three-point win in the tournament would lift them to 30 points, at least a place in the semifinals, and close the gap to the top of the table to three points.
Jiangxi Lushan is currently only 2 points ahead of the relegation zone and are under huge pressure. They will go all out in the game and try to get a win.
In addition, Wuxi Wu Hook and Dongguan Dongguan United will face off against each other at the Jiangyin Sports Center. Liaoning referee Wang Yang will referee the game, the first and second assistants are Liu Tengfei and Tu Tao from Liaoning, respectively; the fourth official is Liu Yang from Shenyang; and the referee supervisor is Li Shian from Sichuan.
Wuxi Wuhu is the only team among the 16 teams in this season's Central League that has yet to taste victory. This time, they will go all out to win at home. Dongguan Union, who have been gaining momentum recently, will also look to continue their winning momentum.
Shanghai Jiading Huilong will face promotion horse Dandong Tengyue at Shanghai Jiading Stadium. Hainan referee Zhang Yangfan will enforce the game, first assistant is Hao Pengbo from Zhejiang, second assistant is Zu Shanfa from Guizhou, fourth official is Gu Zhongchao from Gansu, and referee supervision is Zhong Jun from Hubei.
Shanghai Jiading Huilong won 1 and drew 2 in the last three rounds, accumulating 5 points. Currently only 2 points behind Jiangxi Lushan, the hope of escaping the relegation zone is getting slimmer and slimmer. This round of home against Dandong Tengyue, they will go all out to fight for three points. The return of Wang Shouting and other tough players is expected to inject new vigor into the team.
It is reported that all the selection arrangements for all referees of China Class A have been announced. It is worth noting that Chongqing referee Chen Hao is absent from this round. On the one hand, it may be a normal rotation; on the other hand, it may also be that Chen Hao suffered a sudden accident in the last round and needs to adjust his mindset.
When Nanjing faced Shenyang City, Liaoning Province in the final round, Chen Hao was accidentally slapped by Duan Xin, the coach of Shenyang City. He exercised restraint during the incident, but the sudden scene left a shadow in his mind and he needed to rest and adjust. This may also be the reason why he failed to appear on the list of referee selections for this round.
