On March 5, the AFC announced that Middle Eastern referee Mark Hadmeh will join two compatriots to officiate the match between Shandong Taishan and Yokohama Marinos. The AFC Champions League quarterfinals will be played on March 6 at 18:00 at the Jinan Olympic Sports Center. However, such a referee configuration has created waves in the hearts of fans.
A closer look at Mark Hadmeh's enforcement career shows that he is well equipped to referee an AFC Champions League quarterfinal. The referee, who was born in 1986, is a new force that the AFC has focused on in recent years. He has just recently made his debut at the Asian Cup and has previously refereed at international tournaments such as the 2019 Asian Cup and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Up to now, Mark Hadmeh has been involved in 77 international matches in enforcement.
It is worth mentioning that Mark Hadmeh has a close relationship with Chinese soccer, as he was invited by the CFA to officiate the Super Cup matches between Shanghai Shenhua and the former Shanghai Dongya in 2013 and 2008. That 2:1 victory belonged to Shanghai Shenhua. In addition, he refereed the 2019 AFC Champions League match between Shandong Taishan and Johor, which Taishan won 2:1.
Why would such an experienced referee cause fans to be skeptical? It all started with the Asian Cup final.
On February 10th, Qatar won the Asian Cup final with Jordan in a fierce duel that ended in a 3:3 draw, with Qatar winning the title on penalties. The referee for this final was Chinese referee Ma Ning, which was also his first time standing on the field of the Asian Cup final.
Manning awarded Qatar three penalties in the match, and although it may seem biased, the call was widely seen as accurate. However, the penalty has sparked discontent among Jordanian players, who have taken to the internet to voice their protests.
Therefore, when the Jordanian referee enforces the matches of the Chinese Super League teams, many fans are worried that the referee will impose unfair penalties on the Taishan team.
Fans' concerns are rooted in love and concern for the team, but such worries may not be necessary.
The Asian Cup and the AFC Champions League are two different tournaments, and the nature of the matches between national teams and clubs is very different. We have every reason to believe that the experienced Mark Hadmeh will show his professionalism and win the AFC's recognition with a fair penalty. Taishan is known for its good style of play, so as long as the team focuses on the game and avoids actively making mistakes, it will not be interfered by third-party factors.
