Hu Media: Foreign Referees’ Arrival in CSL Increases Championship Suspense; Shenhua Becomes Victim Due to Inadaptation to Refereeing Standards

When foreign referees were hired for the last two rounds of the Chinese Super League (CSL), a commentator from the Shanghai media outlet Oriental Sports Daily wrote that the sudden arrival of these foreign referees has increased the championship suspense, with Shenhua becoming a victim due to their inability to adapt to the refereeing standards.

The Chinese Football Association invited foreign referees for the final two rounds of the CSL, originally to ensure fairness in the matches and to help Chinese players better adapt to the refereeing standards they might face in the 18-team qualifying tournament.

However, according to the Shanghai media, the sudden introduction of foreign referees can cause players to be unaccustomed to the new standards, “In the short term, it will inevitably lead to players being unaccustomed, adding extra suspense to the CSL’s final matches. For example, in the 29th round of the league, Shenhua players were clearly not used to the refereeing standards of Jordanian referee Mahadme.”

The Shanghai media pointed out that during a reasonable physical challenge, Luís was called for a foul, which made him hesitant to make further moves, “If Luís’s sliding tackle had not been called a foul, he would have been more confident in his offensive actions inside and outside the opponent’s penalty area. Given Shenhua players’ capabilities, once they are free to act in the opponent’s penalty area, they might have scored another decisive goal. However, Mahadme stifled Shenhua’s chances of winning through aggressive play in the opponent’s penalty area.”

The Shanghai media believes that introducing foreign referees is beneficial for the CSL, but it should be done on a regular basis rather than suddenly, to avoid significant changes in refereeing standards in individual matches.