At dusk on August 11, a decisive ceremony on the fate of soccer quietly kicked off - the officials of the Central League unveiled the arrangement of the referee lineup for the 15th round of the 2022 season. This list of referees, like a mysterious map, points to the place where the fierce battles are about to unfold. In this list, a Dalian referee, Zhang Lei, who was relegated from the Chinese Super League, is like a mysterious ranger, who is going to play in Tangshan to witness the life-and-death battle between Shijiazhuang Kung Fu and Kunshan in the promotion and relegation battle. Looking back at the last round of matches, Kunshan was on the verge of the relegation zone and shook hands with Liaoning Shenyang City, so this time, facing Shijiazhuang Kung Fu, they are bound to go all out to get back to the winning road; while Shijiazhuang Kung Fu, since being promoted to the 4th place, will never want to be a sidekick and will also fight for a win, which will undoubtedly make the referee more demanding in this crucial matchup. However, as long as Zhang Lei plays normally, the referee, who is known as the "Golden Whistle", is fully capable of managing this stormy match.
In this match, Zhang Lei's partners also include chief assistant referee Zhang Yanbin from Hunan, second assistant referee Lv Pin from Qingdao, fourth official Liang Songshang and referee supervisor Huang Yejun. In other matches, such as the one between Qingdao Hainiu and Heilongjiang Bingcheng, referee Mu Yuchen from Xi'an will be the chief referee and Beijing's Li Pengda will be the fourth official. Both teams failed to win the last round of the Qilu Derby, and will be looking to give it their all in a battle that is sure to get underway. The match between Shanghai Jiading Huilong and Zibo Cuju will be enforced by Changchun referee Sun Lei, with Wuhan's Xiong Xing as the fourth official. The match between Nanjing City and Sichuan Jiuniu will be officiated by Hubei referee Qin Xiaohan, with Changchun referee Sun Shengyu as the fourth official, in a match that will be crucial for Sichuan Jiuniu's road to the Super League. Two teams that have just undergone coaching changes - Guangxi Pingguo Hazhong and Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic - will meet again under the enforcement of Shanghai referee Cui Yong. In the match between Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopard and Jiangxi Beidamen, Shaanxi referee Liu Chentao will be the referee and Beijing's Su Zihao will be the fourth official. Hebei referee Ma Teng will officiate the match between Beijing Institute of Technology and Suzhou Dongwu, with Yanbian's Ren Tong serving as the fourth official. Tianjin referee Han Lei will officiate the match between Qingdao Fanghua Island and Beijing Beitian University, with Shenzhen's Zhang Chao serving as the fourth official. Liaoning Shenyang City, which has just undergone a managerial change and a major lineup reshuffle, will face leader Nantong Zhiyun in this round. Shanghai referee Wang Minjie will be in charge of the match, while Gansu's Du Jianxin will be the fourth official. In the last round, Liaoning Shenyang City drew with then-leader Kunshan with a header from newly-added ex-international player Xiao Zhi, picking up a crucial point on the road to relegation. So, will they be able to continue their heroics against the new leaders in this round? This will undoubtedly be the focus of attention. In any case, this game will be a tough one and will test the referee's ability to handle the game.
