In the just concluded international-level refereeing legal competition, the referee team led by Mr. Manning left a deep impression on the audience with its rigorous judgments and tacit cooperation. A grassroots youth training worker who watched the competition on-site couldn't help but exclaim, "We learned so much from this competition."
On the night of August 17th, the quarter-finals of the National Finals of the U15 age group of the Boys' Junior High School Division of China's Youth Football League came to an end, with Shandong Taishan U15 team beating Chongqing Fengzhong U15 team by a score of 3:1, successfully advancing into the national quarter-finals. The much-anticipated match also ushered in three international referees, including Ma Ning, Shi Xiang and Cao Yi, to enforce the law.
A battle of youth, a showdown between school soccer and youth training system
One of the highlights of this tournament is that both teams represent campus soccer and youth training system respectively. Chongqing Fengzhong successfully advanced to the national top eight, while Shandong Taishan team, as the leader of China's soccer youth training system, faced Chongqing Fengzhong, which is a purely campus soccer team, and almost everyone was optimistic about Shandong Taishan's victory before the match.
However, the result of the game was unexpected. At the beginning of the game, Chongqing Fengzhong showed strong fighting spirit and positive offense, which once put Shandong Taishan team into passive. Although Shandong Taishan finally won the game, Chongqing Fengzhong's players won the applause of the audience for their hard work and excellent performance.
Despite failing to advance, the tenacity and bravery shown by Chongqing Fengzhong players and their love of soccer have undoubtedly injected a fresh breeze into China's youth soccer league.
International-level referees to help youth soccer development
This was the first time that the three referees, Maning, Shi Xiang and Cao Yi, enforced a match in China after they were elected to the referee list for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Unlike the serious expressions in the past, this time the three referees wore smiles throughout the match and used their precise whistles to guide the young players to learn and adapt to the rules of professional soccer matches.
A deep soccer heritage and a strong soccer atmosphere are the cornerstones for the rapid development of youth soccer in China. The participation of international referees in this tournament not only provides a high standard of protection for the tournament, but also provides the coaching staff and players of youth teams with the opportunity to learn and understand the rules of the game and refereeing principles, which will help them play better and promote the healthy development of China's youth soccer league.
Zhou Haibin, head coach of Shandong Taishan U15 team and former international footballer, also said, "The fact that the World Cup referee team headed by Mr. Maning was able to enforce China's youth soccer league fully reflects the importance the country attaches to the development of youth soccer in China. With their professional performance and precise enforcement, they let the children feel the atmosphere of professional soccer."
In addition to the international referee, the tournament also deliberately set the kick-off time at 7:40 p.m. in the prime time, and took the 8-machine configuration broadcast, the CFA official accounts and education station, central video, know the ball emperor, live bar, soccer channel and other media channels synchronous live broadcast. The high configuration of the broadcast not only enhances the brand power of the tournament, but also increases the attention of the tournament. Up to now, the cumulative number of viewers of the national finals of the U13 and U15 categories of the CYC has exceeded ten million.
