Chinese referee Ma Ning praised for his ‘masterful performance’ in first World Cup match (opens in new tab)

Chinese referee Ma Ning and two of his compatriots made their first appearances at the World Cup on Sunday, and where witnesses to history and one of the great displays of goalkeeping in Curacao’s goalless draw with Ecuador. Ma was joined at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas by Zhou Fei, the assistant referee, and video assistant referee Fu Ming. The match marked the first time a referee from China had taken charge of a World Cup game in 24 years, since Lu Jun officiated Croatia v Mexico and Poland...