At 20:00, Shanghai Beach staged a passionate duel between Seaport and Pudong Wuhan Sanzhen, which is not only the first big game of the new Chinese Super League season, but also the home show of Shanghai Seaport. International referee Fu Ming sits in the center, Henan Cao Yi and Shandong Guo Jingtao serve as assistant referees, Beijing's star fourth official partners with video assistant referee Wang Wei, Yanbian's Ren Tong serves as assistant video assistant, and Hunan's Liu Qingwei is in charge of supervision. Looking at this lineup, international referees are everywhere.
The Tianjin Jinmen Tigers and Nantong Zhiyun battled it out at the TEDA Football Stadium. Gansu-born referee Du Jianxin had his first international enforcement challenge of the season, and his assistants Hubei Ma Ji and Shandong Wu Mingfeng, as well as Beijing's Niu Minghui, witnessed the showdown.
And the Cangzhou Lions and Beijing Guoan met at the Cangzhou Stadium on a narrow road, with Guizhou's Wang Jing refereeing, Shenzhen's Luo Zheng and Changchun's Wang Xihong assisting, and Guizhou's Ma Yunkun and Hubei's He Kai, Hunan's Zhang Yanbin, and Shandong's Yao Qing in their respective roles.
Chengdu Rongcheng faced Qingdao Hainiu at Phoenix Hill Sports Park, with Xinjiang referee Mai Maiti Jiang, Jiangsu's Shi Xiang and Shaanxi Sun Kai, Guangdong's Jia Zhiliang as well as Wuhan's Gu Chunhan and Guangdong's Liang Songshang, and Liaoning's Zhang Lei witnessing the marquee match.
Zhejiang greeted Shenzhen Xinpengcheng at the Huanglong Sports Center on March 3, with Beijing Sport University's Ai Miao serving as referee, Shanghai's two assistants Jin Jun and Deng Bo, Beijing's Chen Jindong, as well as Beijing's Liu Zhao and Qingdao's Zhang Meilin, and Xi'an's Han Wei supervising.
Meizhou Hakka faced Shanghai Shenhua at the Wuhua Olympic Sports Center, with Chongqing referee Jin Jingyuan officiating, Henan Liu Xing and Chongqing Tang Rongdi, Jiangxi Wantao, Shandong Dai Weige and Guangxi Zhang Navy, and Wuhan Hu Jianhong overseeing the first-round finale.
At the beginning of the season, controversial penalties are always the topic of discussion. The CFA's new system of elevation and blacklisting has definitely brought new challenges to the referees. The performance of the 13 international referees in the first round was even more scrutinized.
