At 23:00 Beijing time on September 7, China's soccer team will face a challenge in the second round of the group stage of the Asian qualifying round of the World Cup - a fierce duel with the "seeded" Japan. On the eve of the match, FIFA announced the enforcement officials for this key match, 44-year-old Bahraini referee Nawaf Shuklala will be the referee for the match between China and Japan.
Shukla has been with FIFA since 2007 and has refereed the World Cup, Asian qualifiers, Asian Cup, U17 World Cup, U20 World Cup and the AFC Champions League, as well as being invited to referee in the Chinese Super League.In November 2015, the national soccer team shook hands with Hong Kong in a 0-0 draw away from Hong Kong in one of their 40-team matches, in which Yu Dabao's goal was disallowed by Shukla. as null and void.
It is worth mentioning that Shukla has enforced the law in three previous matches of Japan, and the "Blue Samurai" returned with only two draws and one loss. Specifically: in November 2011, the Japanese team 0-1 defeat against North Korea; in June 2013, the Japanese team 1-1 draw with Australia; in October 2016, the Japanese team again with Australia to 1-1 end.
In addition, the assistant umpires for the match, Salman and Abdullah, are both from Bahrain, while Sri Lanka's Perera is serving as the fourth official.
