As spring approaches, on March 26, the Chinese Super League referee lineup was officially unveiled. This list gathers a lot of familiar faces, including the hotly debated AFC red Manning. It is worth mentioning that the former "Golden Whistle" Zhang Lei also completed the transfer of registration, from Dalian to Tianjin. There are only three referees on the new list.
Although former Golden Whistle Ma Ning was controversial over the Chen Dock incident, many fans were so upset about it that they even predicted the refereeing circle would face a storm. Today, however, Manning's name appears on a list of Chinese Super League referees circulating on the Internet. Alongside them are many well-known referees, such as Star, Ai Miao, Shi Zhenlu, Jin Jingyuan, Li Haixin, Hei Xiaohu, Shen Yinhao, Fu Ming, Wang Di and so on.
Last year, Manning's star shone brightly. As one of Asia's leading referees, he was under the watchful eye of the AFC and FIFA. On the World Cup referee list, a total of three Chinese referees were selected, and Manning stood on the stage of the final, serving as the fourth official on several occasions. In the opening match of the Club World Cup, Ma Ning's enforcement even triggered extensive attention from the media in Europe and the United States. His explanation of the results of the VAR penalty was hailed by the English media as an innovation in the refereeing era. In the European media, his popularity even exceeded that of the international players.
Also in the spotlight is Fu Ming, who is also a highly touted referee by the AFC. Similar to Maning, Fu Ming has made frequent appearances in the AFC Champions League in recent years and has refereed several matches in West Asia. They have also refereed at the U23 Asian Cup and the U19 Asian Youth Championship. However, domestic referees have a reputation in the Chinese Super League. Of this group of referees, only Xinjiang referee Maimeti Jiang Aihemeti has been questioned over VAR penalties, but has generally been well received.
Zhang Lei's change of registration is also noteworthy. He is no longer refereeing in Dalian, but has moved to Tianjin. This means that Zhang Lei will not be able to enforce Tianjin Teda's matches this year, but can appear in Dalianers' matches. Due to the restructuring of the competition system this year, with 18 teams participating, some clubs may face changes. The change in the referee lineup is more drastic than in previous years, with one referee usually refereeing no more than three matches for one team. In the previous tournament system, there were always a few referees who would be in the spotlight.
Among the newly promoted referees, Guizhou's Ma Yunkun, Henan's Shan Dan'ao and Beijing's Chen Jindong emerged. The new referees have now completed their training and none of them have been taken away for violations. The Chinese Super League is expected to kick off in mid-April, while the AFC Champions League is in New Year mode. The new season will start in the second half of the year, when most referees will not be tasked with enforcing the Asian tournament.
