Controversial Referee Ma Ning: Profile and Journey to the 2023 Asian Cup Final

Profile of Ma Ning, 2023 Asian Cup Final Referee Who Awarded 3 Penalties to Qatar. Photo: REUTERS/Ibraheem Al Omari

The referee from China, Ma Ning, was considered controversial because he awarded three penalties to hosts Qatar in the final match 2023 Asian Cup against Jordan. What is the figure of Ma Ning who is currently receiving sharp attention?

Ma Ning is trusted to lead the top match of the 2023 Asian Cup between Qatar vs Jordan at Lusail Stadium, Qatar, Saturday (10/2/2024). However, he actually made a brave decision by awarding Qatar three penalty kicks.

The three penalty prizes awarded to the Qatar National Team were taken by Akram Afif. All three succeeded in scoring goals, as well as bringing Qatar to the 2023 Asian Cup title. Suddenly, a number of groups considered Ma Ning’s decision to be one-sided because it benefited Qatar.

The following is the profile of the Chinese referee, Ma Ning:

The AFC (Asian Football Confederation) appointing Ma Ning as referee for the 2023 Asian Cup final initially attracted controversy. This decision attracted attention because there are still many more experienced referees during the 2023 Asian Cup.

One of them is Alireza Faghani, an Iranian-born referee who has Australian citizenship. Alireza has experience leading the 2015 Asian Cup final between Australia vs South Korea. However, Ma Ning was deemed to have met the requirements and was chosen to officiate the 2023 Asian Cup final. This made him the first referee from China to officiate the Asian Cup final.

Ma Ning: Journey to the 2023 Asian Cup

Ma Ning began his career as a referee at college level. After that, he took this profession seriously and was selected as a referee for the Chinese League in 2010. A year later, he managed to get a FIFA license. Ma has become the on-field referee for the fourth time throughout the 2023 Asian Cup.