Ma_Ning_(referee)
Ma Ning (referee)
Chinese association football referee
Ma Ning (born 14 June 1979) is a Chinese football referee. He has been a full international referee for FIFA since 2011.[1] He also teaches at the Nanjing Sport Institute.
On 9 May 2015, Ma drew widespread controversy as he sent off three Shenhua players in a Shanghai derby between Shanghai SIPG and Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese Super League, the game finished 5–0 to SIPG.[2]
On 23 February 2019, it was announced that Ma Ning had been hired by CFA to become one of the professional referees in China.[3]
On 19 May 2022, Ma was selected as one of the 36 referees for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, becoming the second Chinese referee to achieve this since Lu Jun in 2002.[4]
On 21 August 2022, during a Chinese Super League game between Wuhan Yangtze River and Henan Songshan Longmen, Ma was deliberately knocked over by Songshan Longmen striker Henrique Dourado, who was subsequently sent off for violent conduct. The game finished 2–2.[5] Five days later, the Chinese FA announced a 12-month suspension to Dourado, which was the severest penalty in the history of Chinese Super League.[6]
On 8 February 2024, Ma Ning was appointed to take charge of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup final between Jordan and Qatar in Doha on 10 February 2024.[7]
