Ning Ma goes down in football history – the Chinese referee explains the video evidence for the first time via microphone. Thanks to the rules enforcers of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), Ma is allowed to celebrate the premiere.
There was a bit of a problem with the clearly understandable speech in English, but Ning Ma still made it into the history books of football: The Chinese were the first referees in world football to make a decision at the Club World Cup in Morocco through video evidence to the fans in the stadium via microphone and speaker explained.
The premiere in the playoff for the quarterfinals in Tangier between Al Ahly SC from Egypt and New Zealand’s Auckland City (3:0) was a long time coming, but in the 7th minute of injury time the time had come: Ma stepped down after studying the Video images on the sidelines back onto the pitch and made the usual screen gesture. The 43-year-old then taught the 47,137 spectators that Al Ahly couldn’t be awarded a penalty because the foul in question took place just outside the penalty area.
The fact that the referee’s voice seemed a bit shaky and he faltered briefly during his ten-second speech was certainly due to the excitement. A few seconds later, Ma looked more confident when he showed Adam Mitchell the red card for the emergency brake just before the penalty area. Ma has the International Football Association Board (IFAB) rules enforcers to thank for being able to celebrate the premiere. The IFAB decided in mid-January to allow the microphone declaration and to test the innovation at the Club World Cup. This should make the decisions more transparent and comprehensible.
The test period is initially limited to one year and should primarily take place on the international stage. The exchanges between the referee on the field and the video assistant remain secret, but the result should be briefly explained. Sports such as ice hockey, baseball and football are already doing something similar.
The German head of the referee, Lutz Michael Fröhlich, welcomed the IFAB’s decision because the use of microphones, in addition to transparency, could “above all lead to greater acceptance of referee decisions”: “So we think it’s good and right that this is now being tested.” , said Fröhlich. One is open to the innovation and will exchange ideas with the league. In the Bundesliga, however, the micro-use will probably not be available until next year at the earliest. So far, when the VAR was used, football fans in the stadiums only found out what was checked and what the result of the check was from information on the video walls. Those times could soon be over. Thanks Ma.
