In the 6th round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) on June 25th, the match between Dalian Ren and Henan Songshan Longmen became a focal point due to the controversial red card incident. Soccer Daily reporter Jia Yanfeng interviewed three referee experts to discuss their views on Ma Xingyu's red card. Surprisingly, all three experts agreed that it was not unjustified.
In the 25th minute of the first half, Ma Xingyu, No. 28 of Henan Songshan Dragons, stomped on He Yupeng, No. 18 of Dalian Ren, while fighting for a header. Although the referee did not immediately award a penalty, during the water break, video referee Ai Koon reminded referee Zhen Wei that Ma Xingyu might have committed a serious foul. Zhen Wei then checked the VAR himself before decisively showing Ma Xingyu a red card and sending him off.
Fans are divided on this penalty. For this reason, soccer newspaper reporter Jia Yanfeng interviewed three former international referees to find out their views on the red card. Here is their analysis:
The first referee pointed out that it was an obvious direct red card action. The referee was initially unable to make an immediate call due to his distant position, but with the aid of VAR, he corrected his mistake. Ma Xingyu's foul lay in the excessive use of force, endangering the safety of the opponent and with a clear purpose.
The second referee considered that Ma Xingyu's failure to collect his legs in time after jumping for the top and instead stomping on his opponent's back constituted a red card offense. Although he did not think it was an intentional act of violence, he recognized the red card decision based on the circumstances of the game and the comparison of strengths.
The third referee emphasized that Ma Xingyu's left leg was stomping outwards with the aim of hurting the opponent after it had been collected, so the red card was justified. As for the final definition of serious foul or violent behavior, we still have to wait for the post-match referee supervision report.
In addition, the three referees agreed that the intervention of VAR was crucial in this incident. According to FIFA regulations, VAR can intervene in a timely manner to correct a penalty when the referee has made an obvious error or a serious lapse of vision outside his field of vision. The case of Ma Xingyu is the embodiment of this provision, and the intervention of VAR makes up for the limitations of the referee's field of vision and reflects the value of VAR.
