The passionate battle of the Guangzhou Derby culminated in the first half on September 13, when Guangzhou City's Song Wenjie suffered a knockdown in the penalty area, but referee Ai Koon failed to blow for a penalty kick, a decision that instantly ignited a fervor of discussion among spectators and the media.
Reporter Chen Yong was blunt: "It's a bit confusing to me, what is VAR here for? Wasn't it clearly a penalty kick? Song Wenjie's supporting foot was hooked straight away!"
Commentator Yuan Jia questioned the performance of VAR: "I think the Chinese Super League should consider canceling VAR. In the Guangzhou Derby, Song Wenjie's clear penalty kick was first ignored by referee Ai Koon, and then after VAR's intervention, he didn't even want to look at the sidelines. since VAR intervened, it must have felt that there was a problem, and the referee didn't even look at it, so what does he need VAR for?"
Commenting on the match, media personality Lu Yang said, "Although the scenes were still intense, the level of excitement met expectations. Fortunately, this was not the peak match between the two teams a few years ago, otherwise the controversy about the penalty would have been flying again."
