Ma Ning's Farewell Marks End of China's World Cup Journey

The World Cup is moving into its decisive stretch. For China, though, the tournament is already over – not on the pitch, but in the officials’ room.

Referee Ma Ning and assistant referee Zhou Fei have returned home after being omitted from Fifa’s final list of match officials for the semi-finals and beyond. Their departure, coming hot on the heels of video assistant referee Fu Ming’s early exit last week, closes the book on Chinese involvement at this World Cup.

No Chinese players. No Chinese team. And now, no Chinese referees either.

Fifa’s announcement on Sunday confirmed the group of referees retained for the final four matches. Ma and Zhou were not among them. Their work was done, their tournament complete, even as the spotlight shifts to the biggest games of all.

Ma chose to say goodbye on his own terms. On Monday, he posted a farewell video on Chinese social media, speaking with the calm of a man who has spent two decades learning to live with scrutiny and pressure.

“From the campus to the World Cup stage, from youthful ignorance to composure and calm, I have spent 20 years proving the meaning of persistence,” he said, reflecting on a journey that began far from the global stage and ended at football’s highest level. At 47, he knows how people talk about age and opportunity, but he pushed back against that narrative: “At 47, many people say it is too late, but I always believe that as long as there is faith, we can turn the impossible into the possible.”

This was not a referee ticking off a media duty. It was a man closing a chapter.

Ma used the moment to turn the spotlight away from himself. He reserved his deepest thanks for his family, acknowledging that their support had carried him through the grind, the criticism, and the constant judgment that comes with elite officiating. Their backing, he said, kept him “resolute and fearless” as he chased his ambitions.

Then he addressed the people who have watched him most closely: the fans.

Chinese supporters have long had a complicated relationship with Ma. He has been teased and criticised, even branded the “card master” for his readiness to reach into his pocket. Over time, though, perceptions shifted as his performances on bigger stages drew more respect.

“From teasing me as the ‘card master’ to recognising my officiating standard, it is your rationality and tolerance that have shown me the most lovely side of Chinese football,” he told them. In that line sat a subtle defence of referees everywhere: that the job is understood properly only when fans look beyond the whistle and the cards and see the craft.

“You are not only watching the games,” he added, “but also truly understanding the value of refereeing.”

With Ma, Zhou and Fu now out of the tournament, China’s footprint at this World Cup is reduced to memories and replays. No one in a red shirt is chasing a knockout dream, but for a brief spell, Chinese officials helped shape the rhythm of the world’s biggest sporting event.

The semi-finals will go on without them. The debate over Chinese football’s future, and how often its representatives appear on this stage, will not.