as time goes by
On June 28th, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) issued a trial version of the CFA 2024 Professional League Referee Elevation Rules. I originally thought that with this "mysterious spell", the number of controversial decisions would quickly decrease and some referees might show a little restraint. However, the following day, the 17th round of the Chinese Super League, the port home game against the Zhejiang team, but once again let people frustrated.
In the 57th minute, Zhejiang launched a counterattack from the right side, Owusu broke through to the penalty area and fell to the ground under Fu Huan's tight defense. The referee immediately made a penalty kick decision, but after VAR intervened, the referee changed the decision and canceled the penalty kick.
The controversy over the goal centered on two points:
Controversy 1: Whether the decision to cancel the penalty kick was appropriate. Slow motion showed that Fu Huan chased with both hands, both pulling and pushing, a clear foul in the penalty area. If this ball was awarded a penalty kick, Zhejiang may have scored, the score will become 2-1, Zhejiang lead. The more far-reaching effect is that if this penalty kick had stood, Wu Lei would have scored 10 minutes later, and Seaport's 2-1 lead might not have occurred. With that, the final result of a 3-1 win for Seaport could have been very different.
In other words, the controversial call may have completely rewritten the final outcome of the game.
Controversy 2: The same game, the same position of the controversial ball, but got a different verdict. In the 22nd round of last season, the same match was played by Port at home against Zhejiang. The game went to the 45th minute, Port utilized the opportunity of rapid development of the side road, Wu Lei entered the penalty area. Liu Haofan, who was chasing the defense, had a pushing action and pushed Wu Lei down. The referee immediately awarded a penalty kick and communicated with the video referee for a long time to maintain the original decision. Oscar hit the penalty kick, making the score 2-1 in favor of Port (note that the final result of the match was 3-4 in favor of Port).
The striking parallels of history are amazing. Two seasons, the same two teams against each other, the same right side of the attack and defense, the same controversial calls in the penalty box, the same penalty kicks to change the score.
If we have to find out the difference, then Fu Huan's push on Owusu was slightly lighter compared to Liu Haofan's push on Wu Lei. However, slow motion clearly shows that Fu Huan pulled on Owusu's left shirt and left shoulder when he entered the penalty area. When Owusu changed direction to cross, Fu Huan pushed hard with his right hand, causing the former to fall to the ground.
For the same action, if the defender was Zhejiang, a penalty would have been awarded to Port; conversely, if the defender was Port, Zhejiang would not have been awarded a penalty. In any case, the final decision is always in favor of Port, and Zhejiang can only suffer in silence.
The term "port benefit" originated in the era of Chen Xuyuan and was often mentioned by fans and some media. Unexpectedly, after Chen Xuyuan was sentenced to life imprisonment, the CFA introduced a referee promotion and relegation system in just one day, and this scene was staged again in front of thousands of fans.
In fact, on June 28, the very day when the referee elevation system was released, there were heated discussions in the market. Some people think that the system itself is good and the key lies in the implementation. Some fans also cited a famous international referee as an example of a referee whose ability is beyond doubt, but who has frequently become the focus of the league, with numerous misjudgments and miscarriages of justice. How can they just blame the fans for blasting them? It's all a matter of "invisibility" (note that this refers to the 14th round of the China League One match between Dalian Yingbo and Yunnan Yukun. The former's 49th-minute goal was disallowed, and the post-game comments of the referee committee reported that it was due to "invisibility" and that it was a "very difficult" call)?
In many cases, the policy itself is good, and the fear is of poor implementation.
Countless facts have shown that this situation also exists in Chinese soccer. Including the previous referee review system, it is a very good management measure and method. However, it is obvious that it is a wrong judgment and misjudgment, but the judges and experts just found that there is no objective reasons such as goal line technology and VAR, and the referees easily find excuses for their mistakes.
Even though the extremely stringent promotion and demotion system has just been introduced, some referees still risked being deducted points for assessment and made some unbelievable judgments. Could it be that these people were already out of control before the system was implemented?
Still, without strict enforcement, even the best system is just a castle in the air.
