‘Card Master’: Chinese World Cup fans rally around referee Ma Ning’s first match between Curacao and Ecuador
Chinese state media outlets praised Ma’s “composed performance” officiating a match between Curacao and Ecuador – calling it a “historic moment for Chinese football”.
Curacao’s Jurien Gaari (left) is shown a yellow card by referee Ma Ning (right) during the match between Ecuador and Curacao at Kansas City Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, US on Jun 20, 2026. (Photo: Imagn Images via Reuters/William Purnell)
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BEIJING: China may have failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup but fans back home are still rallying hard around their representative on the world stage – 47-year-old Chinese referee Ma Ning.
Ma made his appearance on Saturday (Jun 20) – officiating a match between Curacao and Ecuador at Kansas City Stadium which ended in a 0-0 draw.
Chinese media outlets raved about Ma’s performance as head referee, calling it a “historic moment for Chinese football”.
“Ma delivered a solid performance,” read a report by the state-run China Daily newspaper on Monday, noting that he issued a yellow card to Ecuador and five to Curacao.
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“It represented the most significant World Cup involvement by Chinese match officials in more than two decades,” the China Daily report said, also referring to officials Zhou Fei and Fu Ming who were present.
Ma is the first Chinese official in 24 years to oversee a World Cup match as head referee.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV praised his “composed performance” and shared a video of him on the field, which garnered more than 3.3 million views.
“The only referee who won’t succumb to pressure,” read a comment by Weibo user Yuki Zhi.
Another user with the handle Pink Butterfly wrote: “Other people are watching for the footballers, we’re watching the referee.”
“CARD MASTER”
President Xi Jinping once famously shared his ambitions for China to become a global football power.
But football still largely remains on the sidelines in the country and has been plagued by high-level corruption cases – which have seen a former Chinese Football Association (CFA) president and former national team coach being banned for life from the sport.
China’s men’s national team failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup following a 1-0 loss to Indonesia last June, which eliminated them from the Asian qualifiers.
Chinese football fans have since rallied behind Ma, who has been a full international referee for FIFA since 2011.
Saturday’s match marked his second World Cup appearance, having debuted as a fourth official in Qatar in 2022.
Known for his strict attitude towards unruly players, Ma earned the nickname “Card Master” in the domestic football scene – following a local match in 2015 where he issued nine yellow cards and three red cards.
Fans have been following Ma’s World Cup journey this year with excitement – and have been also rallying around players like Lionel Messi and Norwegian footballer Erling Haaland who has become a massive Chinese internet star.
A photo posted on Ma’s official Xiaohongshu account in May, announcing his departure from China to the United States, drew more than 100,000 likes and 18,000 comments.
“He’s going to compete in the World Cup all on his own,” said one user on Xiaohongshu.
Some fans have even admitted that they watched the match between Curacao and Ecuador just to see Ma in action.
“I have never even heard of these two places,” wrote one user. “Of course, if not (for Ma), who would be watching this match?”
A user named Jackie shared that he got emotional from watching Ma on the field. “I got really emotional the moment Ma Ning stepped on the pitch and blew the whistle to start the match … He really was glowing.”
Source: CNA/lk(ht)
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