In the sixth round of the Chinese Super League, Shanghai Seaports played against Shandong Taishan at home. The final whistle blew and Shanghai Harbour won the match 4-3, with striker Wu Lei contributing two key goals. It is worth mentioning that the figure of international referee Xie Lijun in the assistant referee's chair of this game was particularly eye-catching, she is not only the first female referee who appeared in the Chinese Super League, but also won praises from all sides for her excellent performance.
As the leading female referee in China, Xie Lijun was involved in refereeing the 2023 Women's World Cup and the 2024 Women's Asian Youth Championship finals, and her professionalism has been highly evaluated by FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Becoming the first female referee in the Chinese Super League is another milestone in her career. After the match, Xie Lijun shared her insights: "I am keen to travel to Chengdu Rongcheng to observe the match at home, and before the match I specially watched the video of the match between Taishan and Seaport, and analyzed the tactical arrangements of both sides in depth. Men's soccer is fundamentally different from women's soccer and I had to prepare myself for the pre-start session. In fact, I have prepared everything for my health." Talking about her feelings about the first match, Sheridan said, "I did feel a bit nervous before the match, but once the whistle blew, I focused all my attention on the game. I think I'm at a new starting point and the road ahead will be clearer. I am confident about getting a 7.5 rating in my first Super League match." Xie Lijun also talked about the technical and tactical level of the Chinese Super League: "The technical and tactical aspects of the Chinese Super League are quite mature, and the judgment of fouls and the accuracy of technical predictions during the game may be clearer than in women's soccer." In this game, Xie Lijun's partner is the famous referee of the Chinese Super League, Ma Ning. Ma Ning is not only one of the best referees in China, but also enjoys the reputation of "Golden Whistle". Talking about their pre-match communication, Xie Lijun revealed: "I had a communication with Mr. Ma. I told him it was my first men's soccer match and I was nervous. He reassured me that it was okay and that I just needed to treat it as a normal game. With his encouragement and support, I am more confident."
In this wonderful duel, the outstanding performance of the two referees undoubtedly added a lot of color to the game. The success of Xie Lijun's crossover has injected new vitality into our soccer refereeing team.
