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Mike Chan

Chinese referee Ma Ning hopes to “pass the torch” to the next generation of football officials in the country, and encouraged them to show the world what they are capable of.
Ma became only the second official from the mainland to take charge of a game at the Fifa World Cup when he oversaw Curacao’s goalless draw with Ecuador this summer – and the first to serve at two different tournaments.
While he does not know if he would want to stand at a third, he said he would gladly do so if his country were to ask.
In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post on Monday, Ma also said he believed it was essential for any newcomer to genuinely love the game, and while mistakes would always happen, anyone hoping to follow in his footsteps should be devoted to minimising them.
“Coming back from the World Cup, I feel my physical condition and competitive status remain at a very high standard,” said Ma, ahead of his appearance in a panel discussion at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust’s Philanthropy for Better Cities Forum.
“I am OK, and it would not be impossible for me to carry on until the next World Cup. But personally, I am sure I would not participate in the nomination process or compete for a spot at the next World Cup.”

Ma, however, said it would not be his choice alone, and there would be more discussions with Fifa, the Asian Football Confederation, and his bosses at home before any final decision was made.
“The General Administration of Sport of China and the Chinese Football Association created multiple platforms for me, so that I could stand on the stage of the World Cup,” said the 47-year-old, who became only the second Chinese referee to officiate at a World Cup match.
“Any decision of mine could not be a reflection of just my personal feelings. If I need to carry on for a few more years, then I would, but the most important reason [for me to not continue] was that I wish more Chinese referees would climb the ladder, and that the world would be able to witness them.”
Growing up as a football fan and playing as a goalkeeper as a child and young adult, Ma said he had volunteered to referee at pre-university level, even though he had not been trained, years before he became a professional in 2007.
“My knowledge about refereeing was from the coaches, my seniors at college, or even football commentators when I watched football on television,” the Liaoning native said. “It wasn’t until my first year at Shenyang Sport University that I truly came into contact with professional football.
“Whether that was tactics or rules, that was when I first learned about professional football and refereeing rules. I was shocked to discover that what I had learned previously was different, if not significantly wrong.
“That sparked my interest because I felt that, as a football lover or a professional in the industry, I first needed to understand the rules thoroughly, meaning I need to study them in-depth.”
He also saw the similarities between being a goalkeeper and a referee on the pitch, as both were prone to errors.
“Even a superstar can miss a penalty kick; players, coaches, referees, everyone can make mistakes,” Ma said. “If it is a technical mistake, it is unavoidable.
“What we need to do is minimise these mistakes or errors. It’s impossible for them to not happen, but we can, through our efforts, improve the accuracy rate of judgments from 90 per cent to 95, 97, 98 or 99 per cent, bringing us close to achieving 100 per cent accuracy.
“Even computers can hang; so I think all we can do is try our best to solve our problems, and make ourselves better and better.”
Ma, who began his international career in 2011 and has since taken charge at the Asian Cup and Fifa Club World Cup, is now the only official from his country who has served at two World Cups, after working as a fourth official in a group match in Qatar four years ago.
He said the World Cup, being the “highest palace of football”, has to be very important to anyone who associates with the sport.
“It’s a chance and a stage for me to demonstrate my ability to the world,” Ma said. “I think the biggest takeaway for me this summer was that I can officiate well at the World Cup, and show the world that Chinese referees can stand on the World Cup stage.”
Looking back on his 20-plus-year career as the man with ultimate authority on the pitch, the two-time Chinese Super League best referee award winner, in 2016 and 2017, said it was not easy to hold on for two decades.
“It’s always about your original aspirations: how we first got to know the sport of football and how we understand football referees, this is important,” he said.
“Do we truly love football from the bottom of our hearts? Because only then can we treat it as a career. So, staying true to our original aspirations and persevering, I believe we will be able to realise our ideals and dreams.”

Speaking about the time it took for a second Chinese referee to make it to the World Cup, Ma said there were a lot of factors contributing to that, but urged others to first consider things from their perspective.
“We have an old Chinese saying: ‘To forge iron, one must be strong oneself’. You will be discovered if you truly possess the strength and ability,” said the veteran referee. “This is what we need to think about, and act upon, so that we can consistently provide Chinese referees to the World Cup.
“It was truly through the efforts of several generations of Chinese football referees that I was able to step onto the World Cup stage.
“And after two World Cups, we’ve summarised some experiences on how to become a World Cup referee and know which direction to strive towards. Now we have a goal and know how to achieve it. The next step is to discover and select better young referees.”
Ma believes that bringing back experience from the World Cup was not only about finding the next Chinese referee capable of officiating at the highest level of football matches.
“The World Cup is quite different from other competitions, after all,” he said. “We also hope to learn from these World Cups and apply what we’ve learned to our own matches and the future development of Chinese referees. This is something we need to do next.”


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Chinese referee Ma Ning says it is essential for any newcomer to genuinely love the game. Photo: Edmond So

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Sport

China

Football

Only the second official from the country to take charge at a Fifa World Cup, Ma says next step is encourage others to follow in his footsteps


Only the second official from the country to take charge at a Fifa World Cup, Ma says next step is encourage others to follow in his footsteps.


Fifa World Cup 2026

Ma Ning hopes to ‘pass torch’ to next generation of Chinese referees after second World Cup

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Only the second official from the country to take charge at a Fifa World Cup, Ma says next step is encourage others to follow in his footsteps

Only the second official from the country to take charge at a Fifa World Cup, Ma says next step is encourage others to follow in his footsteps