Although Shandong Taishan went into the match with their heads held high, this seemingly normal match ended at a heavy price. The team not only had a player sent off, but also gave away a valuable goal. Referee Li Haixin left a deep impression on Shandong fans with his unique enforcement style. In this matchup, Li Haixin failed to prevent Shandong Taishan from winning, but in his own way became an obstacle in their way. He was intent on making Shandong Taishan pay, but the real reason for the disallowance of Klassen's goal was a mystery. it took five minutes for the VAR to make a decision, turning the spotlight on Shandong Taishan's foul play. In the face of adversity, Shandong Taishan always fights back with a strong voice of victory.
This season, Shandong Taishan team suffered from numerous referee penalties. One wonders if the CSL referees are biased against Shandong Taishan. Is it because Shandong Taishan is too strong? The FA always cites inadequate refereeing standards as an explanation, but is this really the root of the problem? Observing the use of VAR and the five minutes of indecision, did Shandong Taishan commit any fouls or offsides in the early stages of the game? If there had been a similar situation before, why was the foul declared only after Cressan's goal?
Why did the referee take a sudden timeout during the game? Why did they wait until Cressan scored before calling the foul? Was this too arbitrary? If you don't know anything about it, is it reasonable to cancel Crezan's goal? This is like preemptively accusing a crime, but the crime, if it existed, needs to be discussed in detail. Is this approach fair? Let's compare the enforcement of Asian referees in the AFC Champions League, VAR was originally a tool to assist the referee, should it not be used arbitrarily.
This has gone against the original intention of introducing VAR in Chinese soccer. Why does Chinese soccer always copy without thinking of improvement? The behavior of the FA is baffling. Are Chinese referees experienced? Have effective measures been taken? Every time, the fans are put off with these reasons. Despite the increase in anti-corruption efforts in soccer, the effect has not been obvious.
Against this backdrop, Shandong Taishan seems to be in a desperate situation, and there is no other way out unless they give up soccer. Choi Kang-hee, as a foreign coach, is perplexed by the problems of soccer with Chinese characteristics, but can do nothing about it. The problems of Chinese soccer are so deep-rooted that Shandong Taishan can only try to win and fight back against the referee. Arguing with the referee is useless, the only way is to prove themselves on the field.
