After witnessing this soccer competition officiated by an international referee, the team led by Mr. Manning showed rigorous penalties and tacit cooperation on the field, which undoubtedly set an example for us to learn from. After the match, a grassroots youth training worker couldn't help but express his feelings.
On the night of August 17th, in the quarter-finals of the U15 National Finals of the Boys' Junior High School Group of China's first Youth Football League, Shandong Taishan U15 team beat Chongqing Fengzhong U15 team by 3:1, and successfully advanced to the national quarter-finals. The tournament also ushered in the wonderful enforcement of China's international referees Ma Ning, Shi Xiang and Cao Yi, who have been selected for the 2022 Qatar World Cup referee list.
A youthful battle between work and school soccer
One of the focal points of this match was that both teams represented the elite of working youth and school soccer respectively, fully demonstrating the characteristics of the CYC which is geared towards the youth of the country and removes the barriers to participation. Chongqing Fengzhong met Shandong Taishan in the knockout round after advancing all the way to the last eight. As the leader of China's soccer youth training system, Shandong Taishan faced Chongqing Fengzhong, a pure campus soccer team, which was generally considered to be a one-sided match before the game.
However, the reality has overturned everyone's expectations: at the beginning of the game, Chongqing Fengzhong showed a strong fighting spirit, high press tactics once caught Shandong Taishan team off guard, the back line mistakes, but fortunately the defenders and goalkeepers in time to resolve the danger. In the 30th minute, Shandong Taishan Lv Haobin was the first to break through the goal, but Chongqing Fengzhong did not give up, they insisted on high pressure, and Liu Yuhan equalized the score in the opening stage of the second half. Lv Xin and Li Yuanjie then scored a goal each to help Shandong Taishan U15s advance to the quarterfinals.
Although Chongqing Fengzhong failed to win in the end, the young players conquered the audience with their tenacious fighting spirit and bravery, as well as their excellent technical and tactical levels, injecting a fresh breeze into China's youth soccer league.
International level referees, professional law enforcement
This was the first match that Ma Ning, Shi Xiang and Cao Yi cooperated in refereeing back in China after they were selected for the Qatar World Cup referee list. Unlike the serious expressions in the past, this time the three referees wore smiles throughout the match and used their precise whistles to guide the young players to learn and adapt to the rules of professional soccer matches.
A deep soccer background and a strong soccer atmosphere are the cornerstones for the rapid development of youth soccer. In this process, merely imparting soccer knowledge is not enough. Inviting international-level referees to participate in the CYHL on the one hand provides a high standard of guarantee for the tournament, and on the other hand allows the coaching staff and players of youth teams to better understand the rules of the game and learn the principles of refereeing, so as to participate in the game more effectively and to ensure the healthy growth of China's youth soccer league.
Shandong Taishan U15 team head coach and former international footballer Zhou Haibin also said, "The World Cup referee team headed by Mr. Maning was able to referee China's youth soccer league, which fully reflects the country's attention to the development of our youth soccer, and with their professional performance and precise law enforcement, they let the children feel the atmosphere of professional soccer."
In addition to the participation of international-level referees, in order to enhance the sense of ceremony for the young players and the team, the game was deliberately scheduled to kick off at 7:40 p.m. in the prime time, and an 8-camera configuration was used for broadcasting. The CFA official account, Education Channel, Central Video, Knowledge of the ball emperor, live bar, soccer channel and other media platforms synchronized live broadcast. The high configuration of the broadcast not only enhanced the brand power of the tournament, but also increased the attention of the tournament. The cumulative number of viewings of the national finals of the U13 and U15 categories of the CYC has exceeded 10 million since the start of the tournament.
