China pins its World Cup hopes on ‘card master’ referee Ma Ning

China’s star referee Ma Ning has been assigned to duties at his second Fifa World Cup. Ma is known as the “card master” because of his frequent use of yellow and red cards on the football pitch. China has not qualified for the 2026 event, and many in China hope that their national team’s absence could open the door to “impartial” Ma being asked to oversee matches deep into the tournament.