Ma Ning (referee)
 Ma Ning in 2022 | |||
| Born |
20 June 1979 Fuxin, Liaoning, China | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Other occupation | Teacher | ||
| Domestic | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 2010– | Chinese Super League | Referee | |
| International | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 2011– | FIFA listed | Referee | |
| Ma Ning | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 马宁 | ||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 馬寧 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Ma Ning (Chinese: 马宁; 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. Known for a stern, uncompromising officiating style, Ma was nicknamed "Card Master" by fans.[2]
Career
[edit]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 most severe penalty in the history of the Chinese Super League.[6]
On 2 February 2023, at the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup, Ma officiated a match between Al Ahly and Auckland City, with Al Ahly winning 3–0.
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]
On 14 October 2025, Ma was appointed as one of the 14 referees for the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup,[8] having thus far overseen the matches between Mauritania and Kuwait, Morocco and Comoros, and the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
Ma was one of the 52 referees to officiate matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, being the only Chinese referee since Lu Jun to be the central referee. [9][2] On 20 June 2026, Ma debuted as the referee at the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group E match between Ecuador and Curacao, and issued six yellow cards.[10][11]
Controversies
[edit]2015 Chinese Super League: Shanghai Port F.C. vs Shanghai Shenhua F.C.
[edit]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.[12]
2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite: Al Ittihad vs Machida Zelvia
[edit]On 17 April 2026, in the AFC Champions League Elite quarter finals, Ma Ning would controversially call off an Al Ittihad goal against Machida Zelvia in the 86th minute, as well as not call many fouls that were against Al Ittihad, drawing Controversy from the Al Ittihad Fanbase, as the game would end 1–0 in favour of Machida Zelvia, eliminating Al Ittihad from the competition.[13]
Record
[edit]| 2019 AFC Asian Cup – United Arab Emirates | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Match | Venue | Round |
| 9 January 2019 |  Qatar –  Lebanon | Al Ain | Group stage |
| 2023 AFC Asian Cup – Qatar | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Match | Venue | Round |
| 15 January 2024 |  South Korea –  Bahrain | Al Rayyan | Group stage |
| 29 January 2024 | Qatar –  Palestine | Al Khor | Round of 16 |
| 3 February 2024 |  Iran –  Japan |
Al Rayyan | Quarter-finals |
| 10 February 2024 |  Jordan – Qatar | Lusail | Asian Cup Final |
| 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Match | Venue | Round |
| 5 November 2024 |  Al Nassr –  Al Ain | Riyadh | League stage |
| 2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Match | Venue | Round |
| 16 September 2025 | Shabab Al Ahli – Tractor | Dubai | League stage |
| 20 October 2025 | Al Ahli – Al Gharafa | Jeddah | League stage |
| 10 February 2026 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima –  Johor Darul Ta'zim | Hiroshima | League stage |
| 16 February 2026 | Al Hilal – Al Wahda | Riyadh | League stage |
| 13 April 2026 | Al Ahli – Al Duhail | Jeddah | Round of 16 |
| 17 April 2026 | Machida Zelvia – Al Ittihad | Jeddah | Quarter-finals |
| 2026 FIFA World Cup – Canada–Mexico–United States | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Match | Venue | Round |
| 20 June 2026 |  Ecuador –  Curaçao | Kansas City | Group stage |
In popular culture
[edit]Ma Ning has secured sponsorships from Chinese brands Lenovo, Hisense and Mengniu. Since starting his social media account, he has garnered over 200,000 followers. [14][15]
References
[edit]- ↑ FIFA. "China PR: Referees".
- 1 2 He, Kathleen Magramo, Fred (15 June 2026). "China didn't qualify for the World Cup, but fans will be cheering for the 'Card Master' referee". CNN. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ "坚持根本遵循 深化足球改革 推动联赛发展——2019赛季中超、中甲联赛动员大会召开". CFA.com (in Chinese). 23 February 2019. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ↑ "FIFA公布世界杯裁判名单：马宁率3名中国裁判入选". Sina Sports (in Chinese). 19 May 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
- ↑ "中超-多拉多染红黄紫昌面对旧主破门 武汉2-2河南". Sina Sports (in Chinese). 21 August 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
- ↑ "官方：多拉多撞马宁属暴力行为 禁赛12个月罚20万". Sina Sports (in Chinese). 26 August 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
- ↑ "AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Match Officials - Final 10 February" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ↑ "Match officials for the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025™" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 14 October 2025. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ↑ Chan, byMelody. "Ma Ning leads China's return to the World Cup". www.thestandard.com.hk. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
- ↑ "China's Ma Ning praised for his 'masterful performance' in first World Cup match". South China Morning Post. 21 June 2026. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
- ↑ "Chinese officials take World Cup stage". Xinhua. 21 June 2026. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
- ↑ "上海德比彻底失控！半场2红8黄 然后就是屠杀". Sina Sports (in Chinese). 9 May 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
- ↑ "Chinese referee Ma Ning removed from AFC Champions League after controversial calls". Chosun Biz. 22 April 2026. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
- ↑ "Ma Ning, 46, the unexpected star for deprived Chinese football fans at World Cup". AsiaOne. 11 June 2026. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ "With no team on field, China fans pin hopes on World Cup referee". www.bbc.com. 9 June 2026. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
